Photo by Connor May
Freshman Daria Smetannikov getting ready to serve at Mitchell Outdoor Tennis Center on Friday, Jan. 20, 2023.
The Texas A&M women’s tennis team hosted the Texas A&M Fall Invitational from Nov. 3-5 at the Mitchell Tennis Center.
The Aggies ended their tournament with two new titles, as sophomore Daria Smetannikov took the title of singles champion while junior Gianna Pielet and fifth-year Sydney Fitch earned their titles as doubles champions.
Smetannikov earned her co-singles championship title with a 2-1 record throughout the three-day tournament. Her first match came out short, but she redeemed herself with two wins.
Smetannikov’s first win was against Texas sophomore Vivian Ovrootsky with scores of 6-1, 5-7 and 7(7)-6. Her second win consisted of scores 0-6, 6-0 and 6-3 against Baylor junior Sierra Berry, leading Smetannikov to claim her co-champion title.
Fitch and Pielet started on a high note to becoming doubles champions with a 3-0 record. The duo defeated Utah graduate Ana Luisa Cruz and freshman Sara Akid, 6-3, then went on to win against Baylor junior Sierra Berry and sophomore Danielle Tuhten, 6-4. In their last match, the pair earned their championship title with a 7-5 win against Tennessee sophomore Catherine Aulia and senior Eleonora Molinaro.
The remainder of the Aggie team including Ellie Pittman, Lizanne Boyer, Avery Esquivel, Kayal Gownder, Elise Robbins and Jeanette Mireles completed their matches 9-2 in doubles play and 19-3 in singles.
“We had an excellent showing overall and I am very pleased with the high level that we competed at throughout the three-day event,” coach Mark Weaver said. “It turned out to be a great way to close the fall.”
The Aggies’ next match will be against the University of San Diego in San Diego at the Hogan Tennis Center on Jan. 13, 2024. The match is set to start at 2 p.m.