Texas A&M women’s tennis got its second-straight win at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla., on Sunday, Feb. 26. Rankings wise, this was an upset, as the No. 7 Aggies got the victory over the No. 2 Buckeyes. However, this is the second time the Aggies have handled the Buckeyes in just a 15-day span.
For the Aggies to obtain the doubles point, they needed a clutch performance from their veterans. Senior Carson Branstine and sophomore Mary Stoiana — the No. 10 doubles pair in the nation — dominated their competition, winning 6-2. Freshman Mia Kupres and sophomore Gianna Pielet, however, lost a tough battle, 7-5. It came down to graduates Jayci Goldsmith and Salma Ewing to decide which team would get the doubles point. Ohio State graduate Isabelle Boulais and sophomore Shelly Bereznyak extended the match to the tiebreaker but the Aggies, ranked No. 34, prevailed. This put the Aggies up 1-0.
Goldsmith struck first in singles, once again getting the better of Boulais 6-1 and 6-3. Her quick victory gifted another point to the Aggies. Freshman Daria Smetannikov was the next Aggie to finish, however, she went down to Buckeye senior Lucia Marzal in straight sets, 1-6 and 3-6. The next four results were all in favor of the Aggies. Ewing won in two sets, 6-4 and 6-3, while Kupres and Stoiana won closer matches in three sets a piece. Their scores were 4-6, 6-0, and 6-2 as well as 6-3, 4-6, and 6-2, respectively.
With Stoiana’s win, the Aggies secured the victory on the day. Branstine’s match was finished but it resulted in a loss, 6-3, 5-7, and 5-7. This made the final score 5-2. Overall the Aggies played exceptionally well against a great Buckeye team. Following this matchup, four Aggies have only dropped one or less matches on the season. This is highlighted by the fact that Kupres is still undefeated in the 2022-23 tennis season.
“I’m very pleased with the match,” coach Mark Weaver told 12thman.com. “It was an absolute dog fight out there and it was a tough, gritty performance. Our theme of the day was go and be warriors out there in these tough warm conditions. Ohio State’s an excellent team, one of the best in the nation, and we’ve now beaten them twice both indoor and outdoor.”
The Aggies have one remaining game in Orlando as they will play Northwestern on Monday, Feb. 27, at 12 p.m. This can be watched live on the USTA National Campus website.
Following this, the Aggies open up SEC play in Gainesville on March 3. The Aggies continue to push forward following their lone loss to the nation’s No. 1 team, the North Carolina Tar Heels.