No. 2 Texas A&M women’s tennis extended their SEC reign another match as it defeated No. 14 Tennessee 6-1 ahead of its next matchup against No. 4 Georgia
“I thought it was an excellent win today, being able to finish the match 6-1 against a solid Tennessee team, I think, is great for our team,” coach Mark Weaver said to 12thMan.com.
The maroon and white graduates on Court 1, Jayci Goldsmith and Salma Ewing, defeated the orange and white’s fifth year Rebeka Mertena and junior Esther Adeshina 6-2.
Securing the Aggies’ 18th doubles point of the season, sophomore Gianna Pielet and freshman Daria Smetannikov won over the Volunteers’ junior Lauren Anzalotta and freshman Catherine Aulia 6-3.
“I thought we played great doubles and opened singles well,” Weaver said to 12thMan.com.
Sophomore and reigning SEC player of the week, Mary Stoiana, took down fellow sophomore Elza Tomase 6-1 and 6-2 to double A&M’s lead over Tennessee, 2-0.
Pushing the Fightin’ Farmers further into the lead, Goldsmith conquered junior Eleonora Molinaro 6-4 and 6-4.
The Volunteer Mertena forced a longer match day as Ewing lost 6-4 and 6-0 to make the score 3-1 with the Aggies leading.
“I have to credit Tennessee as they fought back really hard in the second sets and made us work for it,” Weaver said to 12thMan.com.
Sophomore Jeannette Mireles clinched the match with her Set 3 win over Anzalotta. A&M beat Tennessee 4-1 to push the maroon and white to a 12-match winning streak.
“I love getting to clinch for the team, as we all put in so much work together,” Mireles said to 12thMan.com. “Tennessee is a tough team, but being able to come away with the win is a great feeling.”
Even though the match was clinched, the rest was played out. Smetannikov boosted the Aggies to 5-1 with her narrowly won matchup against Adeshina.
Freshman Mia Kupres came back after her initial 7-5 loss in set 1 to win her singles match in the final two sets, 6-3 and 6-4.
“We have had a lot of battles over the years with Georgia,” Weaver said to 12thMan.com. “We are two of the very best teams in the nation, and Sunday’s match will be college tennis at the highest level.”
Aggie women’s tennis will stay in College Station to rally against No. 4 Georgia on Sunday, April 2, at 12 p.m. at the Mitchell Tennis Center.
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Down goes No. 14 Tennessee as A&M women’s tennis does it again
March 31, 2023
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About the Contributor
Kylie Stoner, Associate Sports Editor
Kylie is a journalism senior from Keller, minoring in communication and sport management. She is the Associate Sports Editor with a passion for women's sports. After graduation, Kylie hopes to pursue a career in sports media or communications.
