Saturday, February 13
College Station
1:00 PM
Texas A&M
6
vs
1
Houston
Photo by: Texas A&M Athletics
No. 16 Texas A&M Cruises Past Houston, 6-1
Feb 13, 2016 | Women's Tennis
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – After being on the road for the last five matches, No. 16 Texas A&M returned to the comforts of home and cruised to a 6-1 victory over No. 70 Houston today at the sunny George P. Mitchell Tennis Center.
The Aggies improved to 5-3 overall, including 3-0 in home matches, as A&M posted its ninth consecutive victory against the former longtime Southwest Conference foe. Houston falls to 0-8 this season and 8-22 in the all-time series against the Aggies.
"I was very, very encouraged by the match," A&M first-year head coach Mark Weaver said. "I honestly think it might have been our best performance so far this year. I know Houston has struggled this year and has yet to win a match, but they actually are a very good team. They have the exact same lineup as last year minus their No. 2 player, and they were ranked top-30 almost all last year, so I was very, very encouraged by the result."
A&M was in control of the doubles, as Eva Paalma and Rachel Pierson reeled off four games to jump out to a 4-1 lead over Rocio Martin and Despoina Vogasari at the No. 1 line, and the 45th-ranked duo of Rutuja Bhosale and Anna Mamalat won the first four games to take 4-0 lead over Maria Cardenas and Tina Rupert at No. 2.
Despite the quick starts on the first two courts, No. 3 doubles would be first to finish. The match was on serve, 3-3, before A&M's Saska Gavrilovska and Domenica Gonzalez won the next three games to defeat Mina Markovic and Marnie Stokes, 6-3.
Paalma and Pierson went on to win 6-2 to give the Aggies a 1-0 lead, and Bhosale and Mamalat held a 5-2 lead when the doubles point was clinched and play was stopped.
"In doubles at all three positions overall, it is the best we have played this year," Weaver said. "We have been talking a lot about playing with fire and energy, and I think that was very obvious that we did. The girls came out with a great attitudes and hungry."
The Aggies carried the momentum into singles play and won the first set on all six courts.
Senior Ines Deheza sprinted to a 6-0 first-set win against Stokes at No. 6. After dropping the first game of the second set, Deheza did not drop another game, racing to a 6-0, 6-1 victory to put A&M ahead, 2-0.
Gonzalez, a day removed from her 20th birthday, celebrated with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Cardenas at No. 5. The Aggies' lone freshman capped the match by winning seven straight games, giving the Aggies a 3-0 lead.
Pierson pulled away from a 4-4 tie to win her first set, 6-4, against Rupert at No. 2. Pierson then won the second set, 6-1, to clinch the winning point for the Aggies.
The remaining three matches split the first two sets and would be decided by a 10-point super tiebreaker. Bhosale had defeated Markovic, 6-4, in the opening set at No. 3, but Markovic took the second set, 6-1. The tiebreaker was closely contested with Bhosale fighting off three match points before posting a 12-10 come-from-behind victory to put the Aggies up, 5-0.
In a rematch of an ITA Texas Regional Championship semifinal match last fall, 54th-ranked Gavrilovska won the first set against 96th-ranked Vogasari, 6-3, but Vogasari, who won the previous meeting to advance to the championship match, won three consecutive games to take the second set, 7-5.
Vogasari spotted Gavrilovska a 4-1 lead in the tiebreaker but would come back to take her first and only lead at 7-6. Gavrilovska then took control, reeling off four unanswered points to win, 10-7, and putting A&M up, 6-0.
Martin prevented the shutout, getting a win in the last match standing. Paalma took the first set, 7-5, at No. 4, but Martin pulled away to take the second set, winning four consecutive games to win the frame, 6-2, and even the match.
The tiebreaker was knotted at 5-5 before Martin took the lead for good and went on to win, 10-7, to close out the contest and put the Cougars on the scoreboard.
"I was very encouraged in the singles," Weaver said. "It was an excellent win for Saska against (Vogasari). She lost to her a few months ago. Rutuja toughed one out at 3 and Domenica played her best match of the year. I was happy for Rachel and Ines that they got to finish out their matches. They needed some wins. Unfortunately Eva hurt her leg. Hopefully we can get her better, but overall I was very, very encouraged today."
The Aggies return to the Mitchell Tennis Center tomorrow as they play host to Abilene Christian. First serve is a 1 p.m.
"ACU is a very good doubles team," Weaver said. "They are very, very well coached in the doubles, and we are working on some things in the doubles as well, so I'm actually anxious to see how we do. They play a different style of doubles than we are used to. They'll do a lot of coming to the net, a lot of lobbing. They've got good volleys. I'm looking forward to see how the doubles goes.
"Singles-wise I feel like we will be just fine and will play our game, but in the doubles, they tend to throw off teams. I just challenged the girls to come out with the same energy, fire and intensity tomorrow. As long as we do that, I'll be happy with the day."
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: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/pages/Aggie-Womens-Tennis/143874782434654
#16 Texas A&M 6, No. 70 Houston 1
George P. Mitchell Tennis Center
College Station, Texas
February 13, 2016
Singles
1. #54 Saska Gavrilovska (A&M) def. #96 Despoina Vogasari (UH), 6-3, 5-7, 1-0 (10-7)
2. Rachel Pierson (A&M) def. Tina Rupert (UH), 6-4, 6-1
3. Rutuja Bhosale (A&M) def. Mina Markovic (UH), 6-4, 1-6, 1-0 (12-10)
4. Rocio Martin (UH) def. Eva Paalma (A&M), 5-7, 6-2, 1-0 (10-7)
5. Domenica Gonzalez (A&M) def. Maria Cardenas (UH), 6-2, 6-0
6. Ines Deheza (A&M) def. Marnie Stokes (UH), 6-0, 6-1
Doubles (A&M wins the point)
1. Paalma/Pierson (A&M) def. Martin/Vogasari (UH), 6-2
2. #45 Bhosale/Mamalat (A&M) vs. Cardenas/Rupert (UH), 5-2 unfinished
3. Gavrilovska/Gonzalez (A&M) def. Markovic/Stokes (UH), 6-3
Order of finish
Doubles: 3, 1
Singles: 6, 5, 2, 3, 1, 4
Team records
Texas A&M: 5-3
Houston: 0-8
Pronunciations
Rutuja Bhosale roo-too-jah bo-slay
Ines Deheza ee-NAY de-HAY-za
Saska Gavrilovska saush-ka gav-ril-ahv-ska
Stefania Hristov steff-on-ya RIS-tov
Anna Mamalat MAM-ah-LOT
Eva Paalma A-va paul-ma
The Aggies improved to 5-3 overall, including 3-0 in home matches, as A&M posted its ninth consecutive victory against the former longtime Southwest Conference foe. Houston falls to 0-8 this season and 8-22 in the all-time series against the Aggies.
"I was very, very encouraged by the match," A&M first-year head coach Mark Weaver said. "I honestly think it might have been our best performance so far this year. I know Houston has struggled this year and has yet to win a match, but they actually are a very good team. They have the exact same lineup as last year minus their No. 2 player, and they were ranked top-30 almost all last year, so I was very, very encouraged by the result."
A&M was in control of the doubles, as Eva Paalma and Rachel Pierson reeled off four games to jump out to a 4-1 lead over Rocio Martin and Despoina Vogasari at the No. 1 line, and the 45th-ranked duo of Rutuja Bhosale and Anna Mamalat won the first four games to take 4-0 lead over Maria Cardenas and Tina Rupert at No. 2.
Despite the quick starts on the first two courts, No. 3 doubles would be first to finish. The match was on serve, 3-3, before A&M's Saska Gavrilovska and Domenica Gonzalez won the next three games to defeat Mina Markovic and Marnie Stokes, 6-3.
Paalma and Pierson went on to win 6-2 to give the Aggies a 1-0 lead, and Bhosale and Mamalat held a 5-2 lead when the doubles point was clinched and play was stopped.
"In doubles at all three positions overall, it is the best we have played this year," Weaver said. "We have been talking a lot about playing with fire and energy, and I think that was very obvious that we did. The girls came out with a great attitudes and hungry."
The Aggies carried the momentum into singles play and won the first set on all six courts.
Senior Ines Deheza sprinted to a 6-0 first-set win against Stokes at No. 6. After dropping the first game of the second set, Deheza did not drop another game, racing to a 6-0, 6-1 victory to put A&M ahead, 2-0.
Gonzalez, a day removed from her 20th birthday, celebrated with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Cardenas at No. 5. The Aggies' lone freshman capped the match by winning seven straight games, giving the Aggies a 3-0 lead.
Pierson pulled away from a 4-4 tie to win her first set, 6-4, against Rupert at No. 2. Pierson then won the second set, 6-1, to clinch the winning point for the Aggies.
The remaining three matches split the first two sets and would be decided by a 10-point super tiebreaker. Bhosale had defeated Markovic, 6-4, in the opening set at No. 3, but Markovic took the second set, 6-1. The tiebreaker was closely contested with Bhosale fighting off three match points before posting a 12-10 come-from-behind victory to put the Aggies up, 5-0.
In a rematch of an ITA Texas Regional Championship semifinal match last fall, 54th-ranked Gavrilovska won the first set against 96th-ranked Vogasari, 6-3, but Vogasari, who won the previous meeting to advance to the championship match, won three consecutive games to take the second set, 7-5.
Vogasari spotted Gavrilovska a 4-1 lead in the tiebreaker but would come back to take her first and only lead at 7-6. Gavrilovska then took control, reeling off four unanswered points to win, 10-7, and putting A&M up, 6-0.
Martin prevented the shutout, getting a win in the last match standing. Paalma took the first set, 7-5, at No. 4, but Martin pulled away to take the second set, winning four consecutive games to win the frame, 6-2, and even the match.
The tiebreaker was knotted at 5-5 before Martin took the lead for good and went on to win, 10-7, to close out the contest and put the Cougars on the scoreboard.
"I was very encouraged in the singles," Weaver said. "It was an excellent win for Saska against (Vogasari). She lost to her a few months ago. Rutuja toughed one out at 3 and Domenica played her best match of the year. I was happy for Rachel and Ines that they got to finish out their matches. They needed some wins. Unfortunately Eva hurt her leg. Hopefully we can get her better, but overall I was very, very encouraged today."
The Aggies return to the Mitchell Tennis Center tomorrow as they play host to Abilene Christian. First serve is a 1 p.m.
"ACU is a very good doubles team," Weaver said. "They are very, very well coached in the doubles, and we are working on some things in the doubles as well, so I'm actually anxious to see how we do. They play a different style of doubles than we are used to. They'll do a lot of coming to the net, a lot of lobbing. They've got good volleys. I'm looking forward to see how the doubles goes.
"Singles-wise I feel like we will be just fine and will play our game, but in the doubles, they tend to throw off teams. I just challenged the girls to come out with the same energy, fire and intensity tomorrow. As long as we do that, I'll be happy with the day."
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: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/pages/Aggie-Womens-Tennis/143874782434654
#16 Texas A&M 6, No. 70 Houston 1
George P. Mitchell Tennis Center
College Station, Texas
February 13, 2016
Singles
1. #54 Saska Gavrilovska (A&M) def. #96 Despoina Vogasari (UH), 6-3, 5-7, 1-0 (10-7)
2. Rachel Pierson (A&M) def. Tina Rupert (UH), 6-4, 6-1
3. Rutuja Bhosale (A&M) def. Mina Markovic (UH), 6-4, 1-6, 1-0 (12-10)
4. Rocio Martin (UH) def. Eva Paalma (A&M), 5-7, 6-2, 1-0 (10-7)
5. Domenica Gonzalez (A&M) def. Maria Cardenas (UH), 6-2, 6-0
6. Ines Deheza (A&M) def. Marnie Stokes (UH), 6-0, 6-1
Doubles (A&M wins the point)
1. Paalma/Pierson (A&M) def. Martin/Vogasari (UH), 6-2
2. #45 Bhosale/Mamalat (A&M) vs. Cardenas/Rupert (UH), 5-2 unfinished
3. Gavrilovska/Gonzalez (A&M) def. Markovic/Stokes (UH), 6-3
Order of finish
Doubles: 3, 1
Singles: 6, 5, 2, 3, 1, 4
Team records
Texas A&M: 5-3
Houston: 0-8
Pronunciations
Rutuja Bhosale roo-too-jah bo-slay
Ines Deheza ee-NAY de-HAY-za
Saska Gavrilovska saush-ka gav-ril-ahv-ska
Stefania Hristov steff-on-ya RIS-tov
Anna Mamalat MAM-ah-LOT
Eva Paalma A-va paul-ma
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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