After coming off a dominant win against No. 24 South Carolina at the Mitchell Tennis Center on March 14, No. 5 Texas A&M women’s tennis traveled to Knoxville, Tennessee, to take on No. 18 Tennessee. The Aggies looked to win their second straight, and with that goal in mind, the Maroon and White came in locked and loaded, packing away the 4-2 victory.

To start off the doubles matches, on Court 1, the Fightin’ Farmers No. 8 duo of senior Mia Kupres and junior Lucciana Perez found themselves locked into an intense battle with the Lady Volunteer No. 74 duo of senior Vanesa Suarez and sophomore Francesca Mattioli. Straight out of the gate, it appeared that it was boding well for the Aggies. Unfortunately for the Aggies, Kupres and Perez’s rackets went cold as their opponents’ heated up. As a result, the Aggies dropped the first doubles match, 7-5. 

With a potential doubles victory in the air for the Volunteers and the ability to tie up doubles for the Maroon and White, No. 75 duo of freshman Ilinca Amariei and senior Violeta Martinez faced off against the No. 24 duo of senior Leyla Britez Risso and senior Catherine Aulia. The Aggies placed their best foot forward, but no matter how good a serve, volley or ace that they gave, it still wasn’t enough to keep up. A&M dropped the second doubles match as well, 6-4, giving up the doubles’ point and the early 1-0 lead to Tennessee. 

Now, the Maroon and White fixated on the singles matches. First up was sophomore Lexington Reed paired up against No. 92 Aulia on Court 4. In the first set, Reed showed her persistence, dominating the Lady Vol taking the set 6-1. The Orlando, Florida native did not stop there, as she took complete command of the match in straight sets. Reed went on and grabbed the second set 6-2. With the singles victory from Reed, A&M was now tied with Tennessee, 1-1.

Over on Court 3, the Aggies’ No. 54 Amariei faced No. 18 Britez Risso. Unfortunately in this match, the Maroon and White’s momentum seemed to stall. In the first set, Amariei,despite her best effort, dropped the set 6-1. In the second set, the Aggies saw a similar response, as the Romanian native dropped the set 6-1. The Volunteers increased their lead to 2-1. 

With the singles matches relinquishing all the heat, all eyes turned to Court 2, where the Fightin’ Farmers No. 31 Kupres squared up against the Lady Vols’ Suarez. In the first set, Kupres revived momentum as she rolled over on her opponent taking the first set 6-2. The Canadian took the resurgence and ran with it. While the second set was much closer than the first, A&M emerged victorious with a 7-5 win. The Aggies now found themselves tied again with the Lady Volunteers, 2-2. 

Now all the eyes fell on Court 6 where senior Daria Smetannikov faced freshman Audrey Aulia. In the first set, Smetannikov kept the momentum flowing, winning the set 7-5. With one set under her belt, the Marlboro, New Jersey native didn’t stop there. She brought her A-game to the second set, as she took it 6-4. For the first in the entire duration of the match, A&M gained the lead, 3-2. 

In the final match of the day, A&M’s No. 2 Perez found herself paired against Tennessee’s No. 59 freshman Katrina Scott. During the first set, while it was close, Perez took the victory, 7-5. To put the cherry on the top, the Lima, Peru native continued her conquest taking the second set 6-3. The Aggies dominance in singles solidified their lead to grab the 4-2 victory.

A&M hopes to carry its momentum and win streak into its next matchup against No. 71 Kentucky at the Mitchell Tennis Center on Sunday, March 22.