The afternoon couldn’t have gone better for Texas A&M.
No. 13 A&M women’s tennis doubled its win tally to 4-0 on Saturday, Jan. 22, behind a pair of shutout victories over Houston and Texas State.
A&M coach Mark Weaver said he’s been pleased with how sharp A&M has been in the first four games of its season. Every player has gone undefeated in all singles and doubles matches in 2022. More impressively, A&M has only lost a single set in that time frame.
“The Aggies are off to a great start, and we really look sharp out there,” Weaver said. “These matches that we’re playing, there are some really decisive score lines out there. One of the challenges for the team is to continue bringing it every single point, and I think we’ve done a great job of that.”
A&M started off the match winning both doubles matches against Houston to clinch the doubles point.
Senior Jayci Goldsmith and graduate student Tatiana Makarova swept their matchup 6-0 against Houston’s Maria Dzemeshkevich and Azul Pedemonti. Junior Carson Branstine and freshman Mary Stoiana continued the maroon and white’s dominance with a 6-1 victory over Houston’s Blanca Cortijo Parreno and Laura Slisane.
With A&M holding a 1-0 victory, the match moved into singles play.
Branstine, Goldsmith and Stoiana each picked up their second wins of the day with victories over the Cougars to give the Aggies a 4-0 lead.
Victories from freshman Gianna Pielet and freshman Jeanette Mireles gave the Aggies a 6–0 lead and put them on the brink of victory. Makarova’s 7-0 result gave the Aggies the match victory.
Weaver said he was particularly impressed with Pielet’s improvement since A&M’s matches last week and what she was able to bring to the team.
“I think Gianna [Pielet] took it up a level today from where she was after the matches last weekend,” Weaver said. “After she got past her nerves in the early matches last week, I felt like she was able to let loose a little bit more and really shine today. She is really thriving in the team environment. She brings a ton of energy out there and she’s clearly having a really fun time, which is great to see.”
In the second match of the day against Texas State, A&M got off to another strong showing by sweeping doubles again to secure the point.
Pielet and senior Renee McBryde defeated Jadeh Chan and Kate Malazonia from Texas State 6-3 to put A&M one win away from getting the doubles point. A&M would get the point when senior Isa Di Laura and freshman Ellie Pittman beat Maria Lora and Mae McCutcheon 6-2.
As the match moved into singles play, A&M went up a level in dominance. Not a single A&M player lost a set, and this marked the third time they have accomplished this feat this season.
The six singles victories in quick succession gave A&M the match victory and the doubleheader sweep. One of the shining stars in the two matches was Pielet, who ended up going 3-0 in her matches in singles/doubles and didn’t drop a set.
Weaver said the sky’s the limit for this talented group of players.
“Obviously, we have a ton of really good tennis players out there at every position,” Weaver said. “We’re in a great spot to continue striving for more and more. There is no limit to how well this team can perform if we continue doing the right things, because there is a ton of talent to be excited about.”
Pielet said the great performance was due to the help of her teammates and believing in herself.
“I felt really confident today, and I felt like I got all of my nerves out in the first match today,” Pielet said. “It is really helpful to have the support of your teammates. When you look to your side, you see everybody lined up, and it’s just a great atmosphere. I feel like we all did our part today, and we were successful because of that.”
Pielet said despite their immense success, the best is yet to come for the team.
“I’m not surprised because we have amazing talent,” Pielet said. “Our freshmen are solid, our seniors are solid, and we have Carson [Branstine], who was such a great addition to our team. I feel like the [sky’s] the limit right now, and I’m really excited to continue working hard with this awesome group of girls.”
Next up for the Aggies is another home doubleheader against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Prairie View A&M at George P. Mitchell Tennis Center. The first match against Corpus Christi is scheduled for 12 p.m., with the Prairie View match following at 4:30 p.m.