Thanks to a superb Southeastern Conference season that saw No. 2 Texas A&M women’s tennis go 14-1 followed by an appearance in the SEC Tournament final, the Aggies stayed home to host the Quinnipiac Bobcats in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the Mitchell Tennis Center.
An incredible all-around performance from A&M steamrolled Quinnipiac in dominant fashion. Breaks of serve made the difference for the Maroon and White. While the Aggies held serve with ease, returning effectively allowed them to bagel three times in singles to sweep and advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, 4-0.
“Overall I’m pleased with the day,” coach Mark Weaver said. “NCAA tournaments, regardless of who you play, always have first-round jitters. We worked with it all, we had scheduling changes for the weather, we handled it well. Very hot and humid day. I was very pleased with the business-like performance, we need to rest up. Tomorrow will be a battle.”
Starting with doubles play on Court 6, the Aggies’ duo of junior Nichole Khirin and sophomore Lucciana Perez showed no mercy against the Bobcats’ graduate Jordan Bradley and sophomore Caroline Schulson. Though this is their first time playing together this season, the duo made it look like they’ve been a pair for years, firing shots from the baseline while also displaying exceptional net game to break three times and bagel, 6-0.
Court 1 saw the Fightin’ Farmers’ duo of senior Mary Stoiana and 2024 doubles All-American junior Mia Kupres display effective technique and net-game brilliance. While the pair had not played together since January, their net games aligned perfectly as both were not afraid to approach the net to volley easy points away. After breaking the Bobcats’ duo of freshman Willow Renton and sophomore Caitlin Flower early in the set, they secured a double break late to seal the first point of the day, 6-2.
“Mary and Mia are a great team,” Weaver said. “They have played together for years, and definitely had a rocky start, but their opponents played quite well today. For doubles if you do not come out ready to go it can get tricky. We turned the 2-1 game around and got our feet underneath us.”
Singles began going the Aggies’ way on Court 5. The power and force beyond the baseline from No. 109 junior Daria Smetannikov was too much to handle for Quinnipiac sophomore Ella Lewis. Ground strokes and net approaches kept Lewis playing defense. After bageling in the first set, Smetannikov dropped just one game in the second to seal a lopsided win, 6-0, 6-1.
Court 3 was a very similar statline for No. 67 Kupres. Kick serves and cross-court winners were the difference as Quinnipiac sophomore Anagha Shankar was rarely able to make effective returns. After countless errors on both the return and serve, Kupres broke three separate times to take the first set.
The second set favored Kupres because of her immense consistency. While long rallies flew back and forth, Kupres’ combination of power and topspin overwhelmed Shankar, and Kupres got through in straight-sets, 6-0, 6-1.
No. 1 senior Mary Stoiana was once again dominant. Against the Bobcats’ top player in Renton, Stoiana was simply a step above.. From her big serves to her baseline strokes to her volleys, Stoiana was everywhere. The new No. 1 had no flaws in her game today, dropping just two total games to secure the sweep for the Maroon and White, 6-1, 6-1.
A&M will return to Mitchell Tennis Center to face UC Santa Barbara in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 3.
