The nationally-ranked Aggie doubles team was eliminated in the third round of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Women’s All-American Championship in South Carolina Oct. 4-10.
The maroon and white picked up two ranked wins before falling on Friday, Oct. 9, to Pepperdine in singles play. No. 10 incoming freshman Mary Stioana opened the tournament on Monday, Oct. 4, with 6-2, 6-1 defeat of Old Dominion’s Marina Alcaide. Stioana fell in the following round to Oklahoma’s Dana Guzman 6-1, 6-1. In the Main Draw on Wednesday, Texas A&M graduate student Tatiana Makarova opened the round of 32 with a win over Georgia’s Lea Ma 7-5 6-7(3) 7-6(3), before falling to South Carolina’s Sarah Hamner 6-4, 6-1 in the Thursday round.
Texas A&M assistant coach Jordan Szabo had praise for the doubles team and said he was confident the entire team would continue to improve.
“We have a lot of good players who have already had spectacular starts to the fall season,” Szabo told 12thman.com. “If we continue to focus on getting better one day at a time, the sky is the limit for this team.”
In doubles play, the No. 3 ranked team of Makarova and senior Jayci Goldsmith advanced through the opening round, beating the team from Wake Forest 8-6, and continued through Round 16 beating the doubles team from Michigan State, 8-1. The A&M pair ultimately fell 10-8 to the doubles team of Victoria Flores and Janice Tjen from Pepperdine.
“It was a slow start in our first doubles match since the NCAA Individual Championships last year, but we were able to squeeze out a win in the first match of the day,” Szabo told 12thman.com. “I am looking forward to returning home and getting some more work in before the Texas Regionals.”
The team will be back in action at the ITA Texas Regional in Fort Worth on Thursday, Oct. 14.