Coming off a dominant 4-0 performance against Quinnipiac in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, No. 1 Texas A&M women’s tennis stayed at home to host UC Santa Barbara in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at the Mitchell Tennis Center.
Incredible technique and baseline skills allowed A&M to outdo UCSB in gritty fashion. Consistency and defense favored the Fightin’ Farmers. After a bagel in doubles, A&M dropped just one singles match to punch its ticket to the third round of the NCAA Tournament, 4-1.
Beginning with doubles play on Court 3, the Aggie duo of junior Daria Smetannikov and freshman Lexington Reed displayed sublime consistency from the baseline. Though UCSB’s duo of senior Lucy Lu and freshman Lily Pradkin fired bombs from the baseline, placement paid dividends for the Maroon and White as they were able to force them into errors. After breaking early, A&M broke again to take the win, 6-2.
A&M’s junior Nichole Khirin and sophomore Lucciana Perez had a performance that was nothing short of flawless. With big serves, the Aggies never gave up serve but stole serve three times on their return. With UCSB’s duo of sophomore Marie Weissheim and freshman Raphaelle Leroux struggling with errors, the Aggies bageled to steal the first point of the day, 6-0.
“The doubles were important, it was a dogfight out there,” coach Mark Weaver said. “If we don’t win the doubles point, that’s even more of a dogfight out there than it was. I had switched the doubles teams and had confidence in what we were doing. I was pleased with No. 3 taking care of business and getting that 1-0 lead in the NCAA tournament goes a long way.”
Moving onto singles play on Court 4, Leroux proved to be a power hitter. While No. 51 Perez played exceptionally from the baseline and on defense, Leroux overpowered her and forced her to give up serve four separate times throughout the match to give UCSB their first point of the day, 6-1, 6-3.
No. 109 Smetannikov was a problem everywhere Court 5. While her footwork and movement was on point, her backhand and forehand strokes were lethal against UCSB freshman Emma Tutoveanu. After dominating in the first set, Smetannikov dropped one game in the second to get through in straight sets, 6-3, 6-1.
No. 13 Khirin proved why she is a top player in the country against Weissheim. Her return set her up for success by turning defense into offense. Remarkable baseline play allowed her to break twice in the first set before breaking again late in the second to claim A&M’s third point of the day, 6-2, 6-4.
Punching the Aggies’ ticket into the third round on Court 6 was the rookie Reed. After graceful movement and rally technique claimed the first set, sophomore Katarina Vayser rallied back to break late in the second to force a deciding set.
With Stoiana struggling on Court 1 and Kupres in a tough battle on Court 3, Reed knew that this set could be the difference in a win or loss. Playing to her strengths from the baseline, Reed bullied Vayser’s forehand and forced her to commit errors on her serve and return. Reed’s serves were superb and returns were flawless. She dropped just one game in the final set to clinch the Aggie win, 6-3, 5-7, 6-1.
“That was big for me,” Reed said. “I wish I could have finished in the second set, but to come back in the third like that was huge. To clinch the match really meant a lot to me because that was my first time.”
The Aggies will be back in action when they host the UCLA Bruins at the Mitchell Tennis Center at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 9 in the Super Regional round of the NCAA Tournament.
