WACO, Texas – The Texas A&M doubles team of Eva Paalma and Rachel Pierson fell to 26th-ranked Desirae Krawczyk and Stephanie Vlad of Arizona State, 6-4, 6-3 in the first round of the NCAA Doubles Championship today at the Hurd Tennis Center.
The Sun Devils were up a break, 3-2, in the opening set and then won three consecutive games to close out the frame. The ASU pair jumped out to a 5-1 second-set lead. A&M was able to get within 5-3 before the Sun Devils broke to win the set and complete the straight-set victory.
"ASU's tandem played exceptional tennis, while Rachel and Eva really struggled with their tennis and with themselves," Aggie head coach Howard Joffe said. "After nine nights in Waco, I think I certainly won't be too critical of our ladies for having a little mental fatigue."
Pierson, a sophomore from Princeton, N.J., and Paalma, a freshman from Estonia, finish the season 11-6. Krawczyk and Vlad improve to 15-4 and advance to take on Baylor's 14th-ranked Ema Burgic and Blair Shankle in the round of 16 on Friday.
Saska Gavrilovska continues to represent the Aggies in the NCAA Women's Tennis Singles Championship after defeating No. 8 seed Sydney Campbell of Vanderbilt, 6-4, 6-3, in the second round. Gavrilovska, a sophomore from Vrsac, Serbia, earns All-American honors by reaching the round of 16.
Gavrilovska will take on 11th-ranked and No. 9-16 seed Stephanie Wagner of Miami on Friday in the round of 16 at 10 a.m. It will mark only the fifth time in the history of the tournament an A&M player will compete in the round of 16 of the NCAA Singles Championship.
All matches are the best of three sets. Regular scoring and a 12-point tiebreaker at six games all will be used for all matches.
Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M women's tennis. Aggie fans also can keep up to date with the A&M women's tennis team on Twitter by following @AggieWTEN or on Facebook at Facebook.com/AggieWomensTennis.