Texas A&M women’s tennis traveled to Seattle to compete in the ITA Indoor Championships on Friday, Feb. 10, where the Aggies beat the University of San Diego Toreros 4-0.
“Very pleased with our performance today, the first-round matches in these types of events are always a challenge for us, and to get a win under our belt over a very good and feisty San Diego team is great,” coach Mark Weaver said to 12thMan.com.
The doubles pair of senior Carson Branstine and sophomore Mary Stoiana overcame their opponents in redshirt junior Elizabeth Goldsmith and junior Kailey Evans with a score of 6-3.
At the same time as the Branstine and Stoiana match closed out, graduates Jayci Goldsmith and Salma Ewing won their match. Both doubles matches concluded simultaneously which earned the doubles point for the maroon and white.
Branstine took the first singles point over fellow Orange, Calif. native and redshirt senior Solymar Colling with results of 6-3 and 6-3.
In two sets, freshman Daria Smetannikov won out over the Toreros’ junior Jordyn McBride by scores of 7-5 and 6-3.
The four singles matches that remained went into the third set. Stoiana, Ewing, Goldsmith and freshman Mia Kupres all stayed tied up against their blue and white opponents.
Kupres had a score of 6-3, 3-6 and 4-0 when she had two games left to win in order to send A&M onto the next stage. She ended the match by winning the third set 6-2, and sent the Aggies to the quarterfinals.
“Excited to face Ohio State tomorrow and I expect us to rise to the occasion against a very good indoor team,” Weaver said to 12thMan.com.
The maroon and white will stay in Seattle to rally with Ohio State on Saturday, Feb. 11, at 2 p.m. as OSU defeated Auburn 4-0 earlier today.