News release from Texas A&M Athletics:
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION – The No. 2 Texas A&M women’s tennis team hosts Prairie View A&M in its first dual match of the season at 1 p.m. at the Mitchell Tennis Center Saturday.
“There is always that extra bit of excitement for the season opener and we are ready to get after it,” head coach Mark Weaver said. “We have been having some excellent practices along with a lot of matches under our belt from the Hawaii trip and our group is ready to go.”
The Aggies look to continue their 55-match winning streak at home, which began Feb. 12, 2021, in a 7-0 sweep versus Utah. The Maroon & White finished last season with a 13-0 record at the Mitchell Tennis Center, picking up their last home victory versus No. 18 Oklahoma in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Texas A&M concluded its fall slate with three returners ranked in the ITA Top 125, highlighted by No. 15 Nicole Khirin, who garnered All-American status after reaching the NCAA Individual Championship quarterfinals in singles. Khirin holds a 13-2 singles record, including seven ranked victories, and is on a 12-match win streak heading into spring action.
No. 102 Daria Smetannikov leads the team in singles victories with 16 wins, including a ranked victory during the fall season. Smetannikov qualified for the NCAA Individual Championship for the first time in her career this year and claimed her first tournament victory in the round one. In doubles, the junior partners with Lexington Reed as the 70th-ranked duo in the country. The pair leads the Maroon & White in doubles wins with four.
Other notable returners include 2024 doubles All-American Mia Kupres, 2024 SEC Freshman of the Year and ITA Texas Region Rookie of the Year Lucciana Perez and Jeanette Mireles, who was named to the 2024 SEC and NCAA All-Tournament teams in singles and doubles, respectively.