For the second time in program history, the No. 7 Texas A&M women’s tennis team advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals where they will battle against Oklahoma on Friday, May 20 in Champaign, Ill.

The Aggies are 33-1 with their last win against Vanderbilt, where they swept the Commodores 4-0 in the NCAA super regional round on May 14. 

Senior Renee McBryde and freshman Gianna Pielet won 6-1 against Vanderbilt’s Dasha Kourkina and MaryAnn Rompf while junior Carson Branstine and freshman Mary Stoiana defeated their opponents 6-4, giving A&M an early 1-0 lead before heading into singles play.
Senior Jayci Goldsmith beat her singles opponents with a score of 6-2 for both matches, with Stoiana joining her with dominating scores of 6-2 and 6-0 to triumph over Vanderbilt’s Anessa Lee. Branstine clinched the Aggies’ win after defeating her opponent with scores of 6-4 and 7-5. 

“Beating a team three times in a year is definitely a tricky one,” A&M coach Mark Weaver told 12thMan.com. “I was pleased to play Vanderbilt. It was a team we were familiar with. They obviously knew our games, and we knew theirs as well. We had a good game plan on each court, and we felt good about all the matches. Vanderbilt’s coach has done a great job all season.”

No. 2 Oklahoma is 30-2 after its win against No. 15 Stanford, 4-1, in the super regional round. Oklahoma’s last loss was against No. 4 Texas, 4-2, in the Big 12 Women’s Tennis Championship match on April 24. 

“We had high hopes going into the season, but I don’t think anyone would have thought we’d be 33-1 right now,” Weaver told 12thMan.com. “We thought we could win the conference, and we definitely thought we had a shot at winning a national title, but to be in the position we are [in] now is great. Our mission all year has been to win the national title.” 

If the Aggies defeat Oklahoma, they will advance to the NCAA semifinals to take on either No. 4 Texas or No. 5 Virginia on May 21.