Thanks to a stellar 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 will stay home and host the opening two rounds of the NCAA Tournament at the Mitchell Tennis Center.
In a pool of four teams in the opening rounds, A&M will be matched up against the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference’s Quinnipiac Bobcats in the first round of the tournament.
Coming off a heartbreaking loss to No. 1 Georgia in the conference tournament final, A&M showed incredible heart, baseline ball-striking ability and mental toughness. However, many errors in the closing games of their matches ultimately led to their downfall as the Bulldogs prevailed 4-2.
The 2024 ITA National Player of the Year, No. 2 senior Mary Stoiana, was immaculate once again. While matched up against the No. 1 senior Dasha Vidmanova, Stoiana was once again the better creator. With accuracy from the baseline, she was able to bully Vidmanova around the court while her superb touch at the net allowed her to capture easy points. After breaking once in the first set, she would break again to seal a straight-sets win, 6-4, 6-3.
In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, A&M will face Quinnipiac. Representing the MAAC, Quinnipiac is coming into this matchup with a 12-8 overall record and high momentum after clinching the MAAC Tournament title.
The Bobcats are filled with solid ball strikers and high-energy players. Led by three-time Boston Globe Player of the Year sophomore Caroline Schulson and junior Vera Sekerina, the Bobcats are currently on a 10-game winning streak and will be looking to continue their success in this tournament.
Perhaps the biggest narrative surrounding this matchup is how the Aggies will respond to the high-energy Bobcats. While they are a severe underdog in this matchup, Quinnipiac will give themselves a chance. If they kill all Bobcat hopes early, the Aggies should sweep.
Another key for the Fightin’ Farmers is the doubles point. While they have two sets of duos ranked in the top 90, they have lost two of the last three doubles points against their opponents. If A&M wins this point and takes advantage early, the hopes of Quinnipiac taking four singles points will diminish and ultimately lead to an Aggie win.
The No. 43 Rice Owls are a potential second-round matchup for the Maroon and White. This group plays primarily from the baseline and loves to throw shots at the corners. Led by junior Darya Schwartzman and sophomore Divna Ratkovic, the Owls were able to put together a solid 17-6 campaign in the American Athletic Conference, picking up wins against then-No. 49 Wichita State and then-No. 54 Florida International along the way.
Even though they were downed by then-No. 6 Memphis in the AAC Championship, Rice has won five of their last six matchups and are in great form.
The Maroon and White will have to rely on their consistency to contend with the Owls’ superb work from the baseline. Net play, drop shots and half-volleys will be crucial for A&M as Rice is not big in coming up to the net.
Another key for the Aggies is defense. Already proven to be elite when not in control of the rally, the Fightin’ Farmers will have to continue keeping the ball in play to force the Owls to commit errors as they have proven to be error-prone from the baseline.
A&M will open their tournament at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 2, at the Mitchell Tennis Center.
