What began as a hot start for the Aggies has evolved into the best start in program history. The No. 8 Texas A&M women’s tennis team improved to 9-0 on Sunday, Feb. 6 with a 6-1 victory over SMU.
The Aggies hit the ground running and never slowed down. Starting the day off with doubles play, A&M senior Jayci Goldsmith and graduate student Tatiana Makarova defeated junior Jackie Nylander and graduate Claudia Bartolome by a score of 6-3. With this early victory, the fifth-ranked duo of Goldsmith and Makarova snagged their sixth consecutive win.
Makarova said her relationship with her duo partner Goldsmith has developed over time, allowing them to feel more comfortable together.
“I think that there is a big difference between how [Goldsmith] and I used to play in doubles, and the way we play now,” Makarova told 12thman.com. “We are playing a lot more decisive, which means that we are better about knowing our strengths and weaknesses and capitalizing on that when we can. We know how to take ownership of things a lot better now, and I think we are able to be more aggressive because of that.”
Doubles play continued with some neck-and-neck matchups. A&M senior Renee McBryde and freshman Mary Stoiana fought back-and-forth with graduate Lexi Keberle and junior Lana Mavor. The match ultimately went unfinished following a 5-5 tie. Court 3 saw freshmen Jeanette Mireles and Gianna Pielet take down SMU sophomore Winslow Huth and graduate Nicole Petchey by a score of 6-4. This closed out doubles play, and secured an early 1-0 lead for the maroon and white.
This early momentum carried over to singles play as the Aggies won five straight matches leading to a 6-0 lead. Despite the large lead for A&M, SMU’s Bartolome did not relent in her battle with Mireles on Court 5. The match resulted in many lead changes, including Bartolome battling back in the second game to force a tie breaker. In the tie breaker, Bartolome was able to come out on top with a 7-5 victory over Mireles, securing the lone point of the day for the Mustangs. Despite the effort in the final match, the Aggies came out on top at the end of the day by a score of 6-1.
The victory secured a 9-0 start to the season for the Aggies, which is both the best in program history and their longest win streak since 2013 when the Aggies reached the NCAA Championship.
“Today was a great, tough match that will help to prepare us for the ITA National Indoors later on this week,” coach Mark Weaver said. “My guess is that we will have played more matches than any other team up there, so we are match tough going into that tournament. It is a really great and exciting opportunity for us, given the amount of work we’ve put in, to go up to Wisconsin and compete for a national title.”
The Aggies look to remain perfect as they head to Madison, Wis., for the ITA National Team Indoor Championships on Feb. 11.