No. 8 Aggie Women’s Tennis Records Best Start in Program History with Win Over SMU

Nick Whitley, Texas A&M Athletics Communications

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – No. 8 Texas A&M women’s tennis recorded its best start in program history on Sunday, as the Aggies improved to 9-0 with a 6-1 demolition of the SMU Mustangs (3-2) at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center.

The Maroon & White started the afternoon’s action with doubles play, as the fifth-ranked Aggie duo of Jayci Goldsmith and Tatiana Makarova kicked things off with a 6-3 win over SMU’s Claudia Bartolome and Jackie Nylander. A&M snagged the opening point of the match with a 6-4 win on court three, as Jeanette Mireles and Gianna Pielet defeated Winslow Huth and Nicole Petchey. Renee McBryde and Mary Stoiana were in a 5-all dead heat with Lexi Keberle and Lana Mavor, but the match went unfinished.

A&M capitalized on the momentum from its early 1-0 advantage and took five of six first sets through the early part of the singles competition. Goldsmith turned in an impressive 6-0, 6-2 scorecard against Nylander, giving the Aggies a 2-0 lead. Pielet completed a 6-4, 6-1 match against Mavor to put the Aggies on the verge of a record-setting victory, and No. 122 Makarova secured the match with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Keberle. Stoiana and Ellie Pittman logged straight set victories, and SMU snagged a match on court five to complete the 6-1 showing.

Texas A&M is off to its best start in program history, logging a record-setting nine consecutive victories to open a season for the first time. The Aggies previous record of eight-straight was set by the 2019 team that advanced to the NCAA Tournament Round of 16. Additionally, the Aggies are maintaining their longest win streak since the 2013 squad rattled off 13 straight, which included seven ranked victories. That 13-match run powered A&M to a top-three seed in the NCAA Tournament, in which the Aggies reached the NCAA Championship Final match.

With her 91st career doubles victory on Sunday, Makarova moves into a tie for ninth in all-time career doubles wins with Aggie legend Rutuja Bhosale. Makarova currently holds the active singles and doubles win lead on the A&M roster, with 81 and 91, respectively. Stoiana improved to 13-2 overall in singles this year with her straight set victory, extending her team-best win streak to nine straight. In doubles play, the tandem of Goldsmith and Makarova pace A&M with a 15-3 record coupled with a six match win streak.

UP NEXT
No. 8 Texas A&M women’s tennis hits the road for the first time in 2022, as the Aggies travel to Madison, Wisconsin for the ITA National Women’s Team Indoor Championships. Action from the Nielsen Tennis Stadium on the campus of the University of Wisconsin is set to begin Friday, Feb. 11 and run through Monday, Feb. 14. The tournament schedule and draw will be announced on Tuesday, Feb. 8, by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.

POSTMATCH QUOTES
TEXAS A&M QUOTES

Head Coach Mark Weaver
On A&M’s performance Sunday against the Mustangs…
“I was very impressed by our group today. I think that SMU has a very strong team, so being able to beat them 6-1 is very encouraging. They challenged us in the doubles, which was the tightest doubles point we’ve played so far this season. I was really pleased that we were able to feel that kind of pressure in the doubles point this early on. As we move deeper into our schedule, most of the doubles points are going to feel like it did today. In singles, we saw a lot of really good things as well.”

On looking ahead to the ITA National Women’s Team Indoor Championships…
“Today was a great, tough match that will help to prepare us for the ITA National Indoors later on this week. My guess is that we will have played more matches than any other team up there, so we are match tough going into that tournament. It is a really great and exciting opportunity for us, given the amount of work we’ve put in, to go up to Wisconsin and compete for a national title

Graduate Tatiana Makarova
On her straight set singles win…
“I’m feeling pretty good. I think I definitely came out ready to go after the doubles point. My serve was working well for me today in singles, and I was able to get multiple aces in a lot of games. Overall, I did my best to play decisive and with confidence in the important points. It wasn’t because my shots were necessarily better, I think things went well today because I came out ready to fight in order to get the job done.”

On her partnership with Jayci Goldsmith in doubles…
“I think that there is a big difference between how Jayci (Goldsmith) and I used to play in doubles, and the way we play now. We are playing a lot more decisive, which means that we are better about knowing our strengths and weaknesses and capitalizing on that when we can. We know how to take ownership of things a lot better now, and I think we are able to be more aggressive because of that.

TENNIS MATCH RESULTS
#8 Texas A&M 6, SMU 1
George P. Mitchell Tennis Center – Bryan-College Station, Texas

SINGLES
1. #122 Tatiana Makarova (TAMU) def. Lexi Keberle (SMU) 6-3, 6-3
2. Mary Stoiana (TAMU) def. Hadley Doyle (SMU) 6-1, 6-4
3. Jayci Goldsmith (TAMU) def. Jackie Nylander (SMU) 6-0, 6-2
4. Gianna Pielet (TAMU) def. Lana Mavor (SMU) 6-4, 6-1
5. Claudia Bartolome (SMU) def. Jeanette Mireles (TAMU) 6-4, 7-6(5)
6. Ellie Pittman (TAMU) def. Nicole Petchey (SMU) 6-4, 6-2

DOUBLES
1. #5 Jayci Goldsmith / Tatiana Makarova (TAMU) def. Claudia Bartolome / Jackie Nylander (SMU) 6-3
2. Renee McBryde / Mary Stoiana (TAMU) vs. Lexi Keberle / Lana Mavor (SMU) 5-5, unfinished
3. Jeanette Mireles / Gianna Pielet (TAMU) def. Winslow Huth / Nicole Petchey (SMU) 6-4

Order of Finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (3,4,1,2,6,5)

POSTMATCH NOTES

  • Texas A&M climbs to 9-0 to start a season for the first time in program history, outlasting the 2019 team’s previous record of 8-0.
  • The Aggies booked their first top-10 ranking since 2015 this week, rising to No. 8 in the latest ITA Division I Women’s Team Rankings.
  • SMU falls to 3-2 following their loss, with both defeats coming against teams ranked in the top-10 nationally.
  • A&M evens the all-time series with SMU at 16 matches apiece. The squads first faced off in the Aggies inaugural dual match season in 1980.
  • Tatiana Makarova rises to a tie for ninth place on A&M’s career doubles win leaderboard with Rutuja Bhosale at 91 wins apiece. Makarova needs six more wins to crack the top-10 in singles.
  • Head Coach Mark Weaver improves to 119-55 in his career at Texas A&M, which dates back to the 2015-16 season.

More News