The No. 13 ranked Texas A&M women’s tennis team swept Texas Tech 4-0 on Sunday, Jan. 30, at the Mitchell Tennis Center, securing a spot in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, or ITA, National Women’s Team Indoor Championships for the ninth time in program history, and the first time since the 2016-17 season. With the win, the maroon and white — now 8-0 this season — improve to 35-2 all-time against the Red Raiders.
The matchup concluded the ITA Kickoff Weekend for the Aggies, who took down Princeton the day before, 4-1. The victory also ties this season’s team with the 2019 squad for the best start in program history.
“It has been an amazing weekend for our team,” coach Mark Weaver said. “The girls are playing at an extremely high level right now. At this point in the season, you couldn’t ask for anything more. Our program has a lot to play for this year, and we have a chance to go to Wisconsin and compete for a National Championship at the ITA Indoors coming up early next month. The team is thriving right now, and we have exceptional team chemistry, so I’m very proud of our group.”
The day’s action began in doubles as the nation’s No. 5 ranked duo of senior Jayci Goldsmith and graduate student Tatiana Makarova took down the Texas Tech pair of sophomore Kailey Evans and freshman Avelina Sayfetdinova by a score of 6-3. The match marked the 90th doubles victory of Makarova’s career, good for 10th most all-time at A&M.
“Tati [Makarova] and I have been playing together for three years, and we have built a really special connection both on and off the court,” Goldsmith said. “Right now, we are feeling really confident in our game, and we have all the momentum going our way. I don’t want to brag, but I have a pretty good lefty serve and Tatiana is really great at the net, so we play a very aggressive style that pays off for our team.”
To conclude doubles action, freshman Jeanette Mireles and Gianna Pielet bested Red Raider sophomore Metka Komac and junior Olivia Peet, 6-3. Junior Carson Branstine and freshman Mary Stoiana found themselves tied 4-4 in their match, although it went unfinished.
With the day turning to singles matchups, Pielet got the Aggies’ momentum started with a dominant 6-1, 6-0 victory over Komac, furthering her singles win streak to six matches. Later, Branstine took down the No. 46 ranked sophomore Margarita Skriabina, 6-1, 6-1, while Goldsmith defeated No. 89 Evans by a mark of 6-3, 6-2. The win marked Goldsmith’s first singles victory over a ranked opponent of the season, improving her personal record to 8-1.
“In the beginning of the match I was a little nervous and my opponent wasn’t giving me a lot to work with,” Goldsmith said. “Once I started to get more comfortable on the court, I was able to start hitting through the ball and focus more on my footwork. All of my teammates around me were pumping me up and I was doing my best to be there for them as well, so I give all the credit to my teammates.”
Despite the Aggies’ all-around success this season, Weaver is still looking for improvement and development from his team.
“We have every expectation of getting better as we continue along this year,” Weaver said. “We have all the talent in the world at practically every position, but we are going to continue pushing our team to new heights every day.”
A&M will look to stay undefeated this season as it hosts a home double-header on Saturday, Feb. 5, taking on SMU and Sam Houston State. First serve against the Mustangs is set for noon, with A&M scheduled to take on the Bearkats at 4:30 p.m.