No. 5 Texas A&M women’s tennis remains undefeated in conference play, as for the second time in less than a month the Aggies beat the No. 12 Oklahoma Sooners. At the end of play at the Mitchell Tennis Center,A&M stood victorious as a result of a 6-1 pummeling.
The Aggies welcomed the Sooners to Aggieland, hosting the rematch of the ITA Indoor Championships semifinal last month. Unfortunately for the visitors, they did not fare any better.
Texas A&M’s doubles slate started hot with junior Nicole Khirin and freshman Lexington Reed defeating junior Julia Garcia Ruiz and senior Ava Catanzarite, 6-2. With an opportunity to secure the doubles point, sophomore Lucciana Perez and junior Lizanne Boyer clashed with freshman duo Salakthip Ounmuang and Emma Ghirardato. The Maroon and White proved victorious despite fierce resistance from the inexperienced Sooners. As the result of a 6-4 win, the Aggies secured the doubles point and entered singles with a 1-0 lead.
Throughout the season, consistent doubles performances have driven the Aggies to great success. With 63 consecutive home wins , defeating A&M under any circumstances is not easy. But by winning the doubles point the Maroon and White took pressure off their singles lineup and made Oklahoma’s quest for victory significantly more difficult.
Singles play did not start well for the Aggies. The first point earned in singles was for the Sooners, as freshman Gloriana Nahum defeated Lizanne Boyer, 7-6, 6-0. Fortunately for A&M, this was the end of Oklahoma’s moment in the sun.
Reed got the home team back on track, trouncing Catanzarite, 6-1, 6-2. No. 15 Khirin added another for the Maroon and White, winning her duel with No. 33 senior Alina Shcherbinina, 7-6(2), 6-3. To clinch the victory for Texas A&M, No. 90 junior Mia Kupres bested No. 12 Garcia Ruiz in a hard-fought match, 6-4, 6-4. Kupres continued her phenomenal run of form and her ascension up the singles rankings.
After the match was clinched, two more Aggies claimed victory. First, No. 55 Perez defeated talented freshman Salakthip Ounmuang, 7-6, 6-2. Shortly after, junior Daria Smetannikov added the sixth and final point for the Maroon and White. Despite dropping the first set, Smetannikov eventually completed the comeback, winning 2-6, 7-6, 1-0(6).
Today’s dominant performance by the Aggies is a reminder of the heights they reached on the road to the NCAA Women’s Tennis National Championship a year ago..
The Aggies are back in action on Friday, Mar. 5th, traveling to Auburn to take on the Tigers at Yarbrough Tennis Center.
