The Texas A&M women’s tennis team came up short against No. 20 Baylor in its Feb. 7 return to the Mitchell Tennis Center, the Aggies’ second loss of the season to a ranked opponent.
Riding a three-game winning streak, including a tight 4-3 win over TCU on Feb. 2, the Aggies’ momentum failed to carry through against Baylor. Both teams were 6-1 before Sunday’s matchup.
“It was a little bit of a shock to the system,” A&M coach Mark Weaver told 12thman.com. “We all definitely need to look at ourselves in the mirror a little bit and find ways to get better.”
The afternoon kicked off with the Aggies missing the mark in doubles play, with the Aggies’ only win a 6-0 sweep by Renee McBryde and Dorthea Faa-Hviding. The Baylor squad took 6-2, 6-3 wins on courts 1 and 3. With the Aggies down 1-0, it all came down to singles play for the match.
The Bears grew their lead to 3-0 on courts 2 and 4 in singles. The Aggies responded with a straight set win of their own when Faa-Hviding finished 6-4, 6-4 against Baylor’s Kristina Sorokolet. Despite Tatiana Makarova’s efforts in a three-set win over Mel Kryoj, the Aggies gave up two more singles points, cementing the 5-2 loss to Baylor.
“They honestly outplayed us for the most part,” Weaver told 12thman.com. “It feels like a bit of a disappointment, but we will find a way to make ourselves better as a team.”
With two weeks to go before SEC competition begins, Weaver told 12thman.com he is glad to get the losing out of the way early in the season rather than later. The Aggies sit at 6-2 on the season and will face Utah on Feb. 12 at home.