The No. 2 Texas A&M women’s tennis team secured its second straight Southeastern Conference regular season title after hitting the road to take on the No. 57 Kentucky Wildcats on Friday, April 14, in Lexington, Kentucky. The squad has had a phenomenal season, sitting 24-1 overall and is undefeated in SEC play at 12-0.
“Clinching back-to-back SEC titles doesn’t happen very often, and it comes down to the great group we have,” coach Mark Weaver said. “Playing at this level consistently is extremely difficult, but our girls handled the pressure all year and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
The Aggies didn’t have the most success in doubles but were still able to find a bright spot. On court two, sophomore Mary Stoiana and freshman Mia Kupres teamed up to outscore the Wildcats 6-0, but Kentucky answered on courts one and three to collect a point.
A&M gained momentum in singles, with sophomore Jeanette Mireles gaining the first point on court six. On court 4, graduate Jayci Goldman followed behind, defeating senior Carlota Molina 6-3, 6-2.
Stoiana stayed hot and extended her win streak to 13 and gained a singles point for the Aggies after defeating senior Flor Urrutia 6-1, 6-4. Sealing the domination for the Aggies was graduate Salma Ewing on court 2.
“It’s awesome, we knew coming here that this match would be the determining factor,” Goldsmith. “Everyone was super pumped, and we played a great match.”
The maroon and white have carried a spark all season and are on a 16-match win streak as they continue on the road to face the Vanderbilt Commodores on Sunday, April 16, at 11 a.m. The Aggies are hoping to extend their win streak as they prepare for the SEC Tournament, beginning April 20.
“We had a tough match today, but our girls pulled through,” Weaver said. “Kentucky played a really good doubles point, but we responded well in singles and pulled away with a comfortable win.”