COLLEGE STATION, Texas – No. 24 Texas A&M women’s tennis defeated SMU, 7-0, Wednesday afternoon at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center in their final tune up before beginning SEC play this weekend. With the win the Aggies improved to 12-1 while the Mustangs fell to 4-7 on the year.
“I couldn’t be happier with how we played today against a really good SMU team,” Texas A&M head coach Mark Weaver said. “If we wanted to be extra picky, you could say we started a little bit slow in the doubles, but we regrouped about half way through and took it to another level to get that point. That momentum carried over into singles and to get six straight set singles wins against a very strong team, I’ll take that. Tonight was very well played by the team and a great segue into this weekend’s SEC matches.”
The Maroon & White opened the season with 12 wins in their first 13 matches for the first time since the 2013 season. The Aggies matched the 2012 and 2013 squads for the best 13-match stretch to open a season in program history, the ’13 team raced out to a 15-1 mark before falling in the NCAA Championship Finals.
A&M opened the match winning the doubles point for the ninth time in 12 opportunities this spring. A&M sophomore Riley McQuaid and freshman Lucia Quiterio won their second straight match as a pair, defeating SMU’s Tiffany Hollebeck and Sarai Monarrez Tesaki 6-3 on court three. A&M’s Jayci Goldsmith and Tatiana Makarova clinched the point with a 6-2 triumph on court one over SMU’s Anzhelika Shapovalova and Liza Buss.
The Aggies dominance continued into singles action, sweeping first sets on all six courts. A&M’s McQuaid added the second point on the day for the Aggies, topping SMU’s Katherine Jakeway 6-1, 6-0 on court five. Quiterio added the third point of the day for the Maroon & White, breezing through a 6-3, 6-0 win on court six over SMU’s Monarrez Tesaki. A&M freshman Renee McBryde clinched the match, her second straight match clinching victory, as she defeated SMU’s Ana Perez-Lopez on court four.
A&M’s Townsend earned the first ranked win of her collegiate career as she downed No. 90 Buss, 6-1, 6-2, on court two. A&M’s Tatiana Makarova added the sixth point of the day, topping No. 117 Vivienne Kulicke 6-4, 7-6(4) on court three. A&M’s Goldsmith, ranked No. 86, bested Shapovalova 7-5, 7-6(3) on court one to complete the sweep.
The Aggies kickoff SEC matches this weekend as they host No. 34 Auburn on March 1 at 6 p.m. to open league play followed by a Sunday date against Alabama on March 3 at noon.
Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M women’s tennis. Aggie fans also can keep up to date with the A&M women’s tennis team on Twitter or Instagram by following @AggieWTEN or on Facebook at Facebook.com/AggieWTEN.
Tennis Match Results
SMU vs Texas A&M
2/27/2019 at College Station, TX
(George P Mitchell Tennis Center)
#24 Texas A&M 7, SMU 0
Singles competition
1. #86 Jayci Goldsmith (TAMU) def. A. Shapovalova (SMU) 7-5, 7-6 (7-3)
2. Katya Townsend (TAMU) def. #90 Liza Buss (SMU) 6-1, 6-2
3. Tatiana Makarova (TAMU) def. #117 Vivienne Kulicke (SMU) 6-4, 7-6 (7-4)
4. Renee McBryde (TAMU) def. Ana Perez-Lopez (SMU) 6-2, 6-1
5. Riley McQuaid (TAMU) def. Katherine Jakeway (SMU) 6-1, 6-0
6. Lucia Quiterio (TAMU) def. S. Monarrez Yesaki (SMU) 6-3, 6-0
Doubles competition
1. Jayci Goldsmith/Tatiana Makarova (TAMU) def. #55 A. Shapovalova/Liza Buss (SMU) 6-2
2. #52 Renee McBryde/Katya Townsend (TAMU) vs. Ana Perez-Lopez/Vivienne Kulicke (SMU) 5-4, unfinished
3. Riley McQuaid/Lucia Quiterio (TAMU) def. Tiffany Hollebeck/S. Monarrez Yesaki (SMU) 6-3
Match Notes:
SMU 4-7
Texas A&M 12-1; National ranking #24
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (5,6,4,2,3,1)
Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics