By: Nick Whitley, Texas A&M Athletics Communications
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – No. 12 Texas A&M women’s tennis advanced to the semifinal round of the 2021 SEC Women’s Tennis Championships for the second consecutive year and fourth time since joining the league in 2012-13. The Maroon & White recorded a 4-2 win over the No. 6-seed Auburn Tigers on Wednesday evening at the Alabama Tennis Stadium to advance.
With the victory, the Aggies improve to 18-6 overall this season and defeat Auburn for the second time this season, bringing the all-time series between the two programs to a 10-2 Aggie lead. Auburn falls to 13-8 overall and completes their run through the SEC Championships in the quarterfinal round, going 1-1 in the conference tournament.
The match began per usual, with the doubles competition taking place under a beautiful Alabama sunset. Renee McBryde and Dorthea Faa-Hviding completed a 6-3 showing against Carolyn Ansari and Selin Ovunc, with the Aggies seemingly in control on the remaining two courts. To clinch the first point of the match, Katya Townsend and Riley McQuaid submitted a gritty 7-5 result against Anastasia Astakhova and Yu Chen to put the Ags on the board with a 1-0 lead. The ranked battle between the No. 27-ranked Tatiana Makarova and Jayci Goldsmith against No. 75 ranked Georgie Axon and Adeline Flach was on the verge of a first set tiebreaker but went unfinished as the doubles point was clinched.
Entering the singles competition, the Aggies looked to further entrench themselves behind their 1-0 lead. Auburn was quick to answer back, however, as the Tigers took four-of-six first sets to put the Aggies on the hot seat early on. The first Aggie to notch a singles win was McBryde on court five, as she completed a domineering 6-2, 6-1 performance against Flach. Townsend put the Maroon & White on the doorstep of the SEC Championship Semifinals with a solid 6-1, 6-4 win over No. 94-ranked Chen on court three. The Tigers proved resilient, with No. 72 Ansari booking a 6-1, 7-6(3) win over Goldsmith on court two and Axon defeating Faa-Hviding, 6-2, 6-3, on court four. A&M maintained a 3-2 lead with two matches left standing.
Meanwhile, on court six, the Tustin, California, native McQuaid found herself in a three-set battle with Astakhova. She fell victim to Auburn’s singles successes in the first set, dropping the opening frame by a 6-2 margin. The senior fought back in the second set, logging a 6-3 win and shifting momentum in A&M’s favor with tenacious rallies and high-energy plays. The final stanza went decisively in her favor as a result, winning the 2-6, 6-3, 6-1 marathon and pushing Texas A&M to the 4-2 team victory. The only ranked singles match went unfinished on court one, with No. 18 Makarova leading No. 74 Ovunc definitively in the third set.
Townsend’s performance in recent matches has been superlative, boasting a three-match win streak alongside a perfect 3-0 record when battling ranked singles opponents. The Coconut Creek, Florida, native now stands at 17-8 overall this season with a 10-5 dual match record. With her clinch win on court six, McQuaid has recorded the decisive fourth point in three of the Aggies wins this season. She holds a 15-8 record this season and remains the team leader in career singles wins with 79. In addition, Texas A&M is a perfect 14-0 as a team when the squad clinches the doubles point. A&M has earned the doubles point in four of its last five matches.
UP NEXT
No. 12-ranked and No. 3-seed Texas A&M women’s tennis will square off with the No. 7 seed South Carolina Gamecocks in the SEC Women’s Tennis Championship Semifinals tomorrow, Thursday, April 22nd, with first serve slated for 2 p.m. In their previous meeting this season, the Aggies came away with a 4-2 victory on the road at the Carolina Tennis Center.
Fans interested in following along with Thursday afternoon’s match—and all the matches throughout the 2021 SEC Women’s Tennis Championships—are encouraged to click here. Live stats and video from all six courts will be available, as provided by the University of Alabama. Aggie fans can also join in the SEC Tournament experience by following Texas A&M women’s Tennis on Facebook, Instagram, and on Twitter @AggieWTEN.
POSTMATCH QUOTES
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
Head Coach Mark Weaver
On his reaction to the 4-2 win…
“It was a really fun tennis match, and there was a lot of energy out there. We played an excellent doubles point, and you can tell that we’ve really taken off in the doubles recently. Our performance in doubles set the tone for the team. Auburn has played some really good tennis recently and they challenged us all the way. We just keep on finding ways to get the job done. We played really consistent tennis today, just as we have all throughout the year. The girls are playing with so much fight and spirit out there, and it’s fun to be a part of it.”
On the team’s ability to rebound after a difficult start in singles…
“I think we might have started a little slow because we weren’t yet used to the atmosphere in a nighttime match at Alabama. Not to make excuses for our slow starts on those courts, but that really does play a factor into it. After that we were able to fight our way back and problem solve. We were looking pretty good in Tatiana (Makarova’s) last match on. For Riley it was really great to get that clinch win. She loves those moments with all the yelling and screaming. She plays with so much energy, and it was so fun to see Riley finish things off out there.”
Senior Riley McQuaid
On clinching the Aggies trip to the SEC Semifinals…
“It felt really good. Things were not looking great on my court for a while. I went down a set and trailed the second 3-1, which is similar to what happened the last time I played this girl (Anastasia Astakhova). I was looking down the courts and realized that someone was going to have to win this for us, so I put my head down and tried to put the ball on the court every time. It felt really good to get the win, and I was so proud of the girls after this one.”
TENNIS MATCH RESULTS
No. 12 Texas A&M 4, No. 20 Auburn 2
SEC Women’s Tennis Championships – Quarterfinals
Alabama Tennis Stadium – Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Singles Competition
1. #18 Tatiana Makarova (TAMU) vs. #74 Selin Ovunc (AUB) 4-6, 6-1, 3-1, unfinished
2. #72 Carolyn Ansari (AUB) def. Jayci Goldsmith (TAMU) 6-1, 7-6(3)
3. Katya Townsend (TAMU) def. #94 Yu Chen (AUB) 6-1, 6-4
4. Georgie Axon (AUB) def. Dorthea Faa-Hviding (TAMU) 6-2, 6-3
5. Renee McBryde (TAMU) def. Adeline Flach (AUB) 6-2, 6-1
6. Riley McQuaid (TAMU) def. Anastasia Astakhova (AUB) 2-6, 6-3, 6-1
Doubles Competition
1. #27 Tatiana Makarova / Jayci Goldsmith (TAMU) vs. #75 Georgie Axon / Adeline Flach (AUB) 5-6 UF
2. Renee McBryde / Dorthea Faa-Hviding (TAMU) def. Carolyn Ansari / Selin Ovunc (AUB) 6-3
3. Riley McQuaid / Katya Townsend (TAMU) def. Anastasia Astakhova / Yu Chen (AUB) 7-5
Order of Finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (5,3,2,4,6)
POSTMATCH NOTES
· Texas A&M continues its run in the SEC Women’s Tennis Championships as the No. 3 seed in the tournament. The Aggies are now 18-6 overall and are ranked as the No. 12 team in the nation following the release of the latest Oracle ITA Women’s Team Rankings earlier today.
· Auburn concludes its stay in Tuscaloosa and drops to 13-8 overall this season with a 1-1 mark in the SEC Women’s Tennis Championships. The Tigers were the No. 6 seed in the tournament and were recently ranked as the No. 20 team nationally by the ITA.
· The Maroon & White take a 10-2 lead in the all-time series between the two schools, winning both matches in the 2021 season.
· The Aggies advance to the SEC Semifinals for the fourth time since joining the conference in 2012-13 and will have now appeared twice consecutively.
· The order of finish in Wednesday’s match was as follows: Doubles (2,3); Singles (5,3,2,4,6)