Texas A&M
Alabama
Aggies Defeat No. 9 Alabama as Paalma Wins in Last Match Standing
Mar 23, 2015 | Women's Tennis
“Obviously everyone's nerves have been through five-odd hours of tension with the line so fine in the very end between winning and losing the match,” a relieved A&M head coach Howard Joffe said. “One can't help but be superly excited. Truly I've done this for 10 or 15 years and this was definitely the most nerve-wracking of all.”
It was A&M's fifth consecutive victory, including its second straight against a top-10 opponent as the Aggies improve to 8-3 overall and 5-1 in matches against Southeastern Conference foes. Alabama falls to 13-4 overall, including 5-3 in SEC play.
“There was so much pressure,” an exhausted but elated Paalma said after the conclusion of the deciding match. “It was the first time to be in a situation like this, but I knew I had to play because if I am just pushing, then she is going to win. I had to dictate the game, and if I lose, then I lose but at least I played and did something. That is what I was thinking about.”
The Crimson Tide began the day with strong doubles play, winning 8-2 on courts one and three to take the day's first point. Spirited play from the nation's ninth-ranked duo of Erin Routliffe and Maya Jansen proved to be too much for No. 29 Stefania Hrsitov and Ines Deheza. The point was clinched on Court 3 by Danielle Spielmann and Luicelena Perez over Saska Gavrilovska and Rutuja Bhosale.
“I feel like I didn't get the team ready to go,” Joffe said. “I thought we did a poor job in the doubles, and I got to credit all our ladies for bouncing back and doing an unbelievable job.”
Once play transitioned to singles the matches tightened up, with the Aggies coming out on top in four first sets. Sophomore Bhosale took just over an hour to even the team score at 1-all, defeating No. 57 Natalia Maynetto, 6-2, 6-1, on Court 4. The Shrirampur, India, native won her fourth straight match, improving to 5-1 against league opposition, as well as winning her fifth match this season over a ranked opponent.
The upset-minded Aggies took their first lead of the day as No. 123 Hristov bested Perez, 6-4, 6-1 on Court 6. The junior from Romania pulled her record to 3-3 against SEC opponents and 4-5 in dual matches overall. Despite the stiff competition from the Maroon and White, the Crimson Tide did not back down, evening the match again as No. 54 Spielmann toppled Deheza at the No. 2 line, 6-4, 6-3, to knot the team score at three apiece.
No. 46 Rachel Pierson put the home team ahead again with a spirited upset of No. 26 Routliffe on court one. The win was the Princeton, N.J., native's highest ranked victory in her collegiate career, besting a win over former teammate and No. 32-ranked Stefanie Nauta of Virginia in the fall season.
With the team final in the balance, the visitors rallied again to even the score, this time in a third-set tossup between No. 48 Jansen and No. 62 Gavrilovska. Jansen claimed the first set 6-2, but Gavrilovska did not back down, taking the middle-set, 6-4, at No. 3. Facing defeat, the Crimson Tide junior won four of the final five games to take the third set, 6-3, tying the team score at three.
“Stefania and Rutuja really took it to their girls, which gave us the 2-1 advantage,” Joffe explained. “Rachel Pierson continues to play very, very good tennis against a top player, and she won at 1. I thought Saska was a little bit unlucky. I really thought she fought hard and played well.”
All eyes then turned to Paalma on Court 5, and the Tallinn, Estonia native did not disappoint. With her parents in attendance from Estonia, the freshman split tiebreakers in the match's first two sets before clinching the team win, 7-5, in the third set. With the win, Paalma improves to 3-1 in SEC matches and 6-2 this spring.
“I had to get myself together and that wasn't the time to be angry, mad, exhausted or something,” Paalma said about letting the second set slip away and falling, 7-5. “I really had to go and do it, so there wasn't any time for just laying around, being angry, what would be normal to do in that situation.”
“I think probably the biggest thing to make note of is that Eva is a freshman, and this is the first time that she's played with a final match on the line,“ Joffe said. “I've seen this movie many times where the freshman goes to pieces, plus she got to the finish line in the second set and it got taken away. And so it just speaks volumes more than anything about her character. And I definitely have to spare a thought for the [Emily] Zabor kid from Alabama. She is a senior, she is experienced. She handled herself extremely well, and it is just truly nothing short of a miracle that Eva got it done, although I know Eva has the greatest character of all time. In a sense it is surprising, and in a sense it is not surprising, but it certainly was a big ask for a freshman today.”
A&M concludes its four-match home stand Tuesday as the Aggies welcome back No. 2 Florida to College Station. The match, which was rained out early this month, begins at 2 p.m. at the Mitchell Tennis Center. It will mark A&M's third top-10 foe in four matches over a six-day span.
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.
#30 Texas A&M 4, #9 Alabama 3
Singles - Order of finish: 4, 6, 2, 1, 3, 5
1. #46 Rachel Pierson (A&M) def. #26 Erin Routliffe (UA) 7-6 (7-4), 6-4
2. #54 Danielle Spielmann (UA) def. Ines Deheza (A&M) 6-4, 6-3
3. #48 Maya Jansen (UA) def. #62 Saska Gavrilovska (A&M) 6-2, 4-6, 6-3
4. Rutuja Bhosale (A&M) def. #57 Natalia Maynetto (UA) 6-2, 6-1
5. Eva Paalma (A&M) def. Emily Zabor (UA) 7-6 (7-3), 6-7 (5-7), 7-5
6. #123 Stefania Hristov (A&M) def. Luicelena Perez (UA) 6-4, 6-1
Doubles – Order of finish: 1, 3
1. #9 Erin Routliffe/Maya Jansen (UA) def. #29 Stefania Hristov/Ines Deheza (A&M) 8-2
2. #32 Eva Paalma/Rachel Pierson (A&M) vs. #46 Emily Zabor/Natalia Maynetto (UA) 5-2, unfinished
3. Danielle Spielmann/Luicelena Perez (UA) def. Saska Gavrilovska/Rutuja Bhosale (A&M) 8-2
Players Mentioned
