Emerging after a spirit-lifting 4-0 sweep that saw No. 3 Texas A&M women’s tennis claim its 64th consecutive home victory against Ole Miss, the Aggies returned home to the Mitchell Tennis Center to host No. 9 LSU in hopes of improving its record in conference play.
The Aggies’ captured their 65th consecutive home victory while dropping just one point to the Tigers, staying disciplined and poised when adversity presented itself. While four singles matches went to three sets, A&M captured three of those points to win 6-1.
“There were a lot of close matches and a lot of close points,” coach Mark Weaver said. “We really stepped up and played the big points well and did a great job with our composure, which is something I have been challenging the team with. I was very pleased with how they handled the big moments today.”
Starting with doubles play on Court 5, the Aggies’ junior Nichole Khirin and freshman Lexington Reed created countless problems for the Tigers’ fifth-year senior Gaby Rivera and sophomore Kenna Erickson. Power and net game brilliance paid dividends on serve, while incredible topspin forehands allowed the Aggies to break early and secure the set, 6-3.
Juniors Daria Smetannikov and Mia Kupres captured their third-consecutive victory together against LSU’s freshman Tilwith Di Girolami and senior Anita Sahdiieva to claim the first point of the day for A&M. A display of consistency and net game while refusing to give up any easy points led to a LSU break of serve to seal the win, 6-3.
Moving on to singles on Court 4, the Aggies’ No. 40 sophomore Lucciana Perez claimed her 13th consecutive singles victory against the Tigers’ sophomore Kinaa Graham. While her ball-striking ability and skills were impressive, her hustle is what stood out today. After breaking twice in the first set then once more in the second, she walked away with a straight-sets win, 6-1, 6-4.
Court 2 saw No. 17 Khirin battle the Tigers’ freshman Kayla Cross. After a close first set, big serves and consistent passing shots allowed her to break late to steal the first set. While the first set came down to the wire, Khirin broke away early in the second to secure her sixth singles win in her last seven matches, 7-5, 6-1.
While she was a 2024 doubles All-American, Kupres proved to be a dominant singles player against Girolami on Court 3. After dropping the second set, her ability to stay poised allowed her to fight back to secure the victory for the Maroon and White, 6-2, 2-6, 6-3.
Reed was forced to go the distance against Erickson on Court 6. After losing a second-set tiebreak, Reed dug deep to elevate her serve and on her return to dish out her seventh bagel of the year, 6-4, 6-7, 6-0.
The Aggies’ No. 2 senior Mary Stoiana was also pushed the distance against the Tigers’ freshman Cadence Brace on Court 1. The key to this match was holding serve, as whoever broke repeatedly won the set. Utilizing sharp groundstrokes and net game, Stoiana was able to run away in the third set to capture A&M’s sixth point of the day, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.
Court 5 saw Smetannikov show admirable effort in her match against Sahdiieva. While she captured the second set, she ultimately fell in three, 4-6, 6-4, 4-6.
“It will be another challenging road trip,” Weaver said about upcoming matches. “Kentucky is always a tough place to play at, and Tennessee is another strong team. As always in the SEC, we have to come out ready to go, and any time we are on the road, we have to come out even more ready to go. We are playing some great tennis and playing at a very high level. I’m very pleased with where we are at right now.”
The Aggies will be back in action on Friday, March 28, when they travel to Lexington, Kentucky to take on the No. 63 Kentucky Wildcats.
