Sunday, March 27
College Station
11:00 AM
Texas A&M
3
vs
4
Arkansas
Photo by: Texas A&M Athletics
No. 17 Texas A&M Drops 4-3 Decision to No. 26 Arkansas
Mar 27, 2016 | Women's Tennis
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The 17th-ranked Texas A&M women's tennis team suffered its first home loss of the season as 26th-ranked Arkansas won the last match standing to pull out a 4-3 victory on a windy day at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center.
Texas A&M, which entered the match 10-0 at home and riding a 14-match home win streak dating to last year, falls to 12-7 overall and 4-4 in Southeastern Conference matches only.
Arkansas improves to 15-7 overall, including 4-3 in league play.
A&M got off to a promising start by winning the doubles point to take a 1-0 lead. The 42nd-ranked duo of Eva Paalma and Rachel Pierson never trailed before pulling away for a 6-4 victory over Arkansas' Shannon Hudson and Yuliya Lysa at the No. 1 line.
Rutuja Bhosale, who was celebrating her 20th birthday, and partner Anna Mamalat quickly followed, as the 44th-ranked tandem defeated Flavia Araujo and Makenzie Craft at the No. 2 line to secure the point for the Aggies.
A&M's Ines Deheza and Domenica Gonzalez held a 5-3 lead over Mia Jurasic and Ana Oparenovic at the No. 3 line when play was stopped.
Arkansas tied the score at 1-1 at the start of singles as Craft jumped out to a 4-1 first-set lead against Gonzalez at No. 4. Gonzalez got within 4-3 and 5-4 and was serving to tie the frame, but Craft broke to win the set. Craft then raced to a 6-1 win in the second set to complete the victory and even the team score.
Pierson returned the lead to A&M with a ranked win at No. 2. Pierson went up a break at 5-4 against 88th-ranked and reigning SEC freshman of the week Ana Oparenovic and then held serve to close out the first. Pierson then jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the second set en route to a 6-2 win to close out the match.
Arkansas tied the score at 2-2 as Sasha Shkorupeieva held off a near first-set comeback by Paalma at No. 6. Shkorupeieva had taken a 4-1 lead in the opening set and was up 5-3 when Paalma rallied to take a 6-5 lead and was serving for the set. Shkorupeieva broke Paalma's serve to tie the set at 6-6 and force a tiebreaker. Shkorupeieva stayed close and took her first lead in the tiebreaker at 6-5. Paalma managed to even the score at 6-6, but Shkorupeieva won the next two points to pull out the 7-6 first-set victory.
In the second set, Shkorupeieva pulled away by winning four consecutive games to cap a 6-2 victory.
Deheza gave the Aggies a 3-2 lead with a straight-set win over Jurasic at No. 5. The senior from Bolivia jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the first set and won 6-3. Jurasic got off to a quick start in the second set and was up, 4-2, before Deheza reeled off four consecutive games to win the set, 6-4, and complete the straight-set win.
Hudson tied the team score for a third time with a win over Bhosale at No. 3. Despite dropping the first seven games of the match, Hudson came back to win, 0-6, 6-4, 6-4, and tie the team score 3-3, forcing the overall team victory to come down to the last match standing.
In a match-up of ranked opponents, No. 83 Lysa had won the first set against A&M's 32nd-ranked Saska Gavrilovska, 6-3, at No. 1. Gavrilovska, however, overcame a 4-1 deficit in the second set to win, 7-5, and force a third set. Lysa never trailed in the final frame and held a 5-3 lead when Bhosale and Hudson completed their match on the adjoining court. Gavrilovska won the next game to get within 5-4 before Lysa won the no-ad point in the ensuing game to win the match and clinch the victory for the Razorbacks.
It marked Arkansas' first victory in College Station in the all-time series, having gone home winless in seven previous visits to College Station. It also marked the Razorbacks' first victory against A&M since the former Southwest Conference foe joined the SEC for the 2013 season.
Next up for the Aggies is a challenging road trip to No. 8 South Carolina and No. 7 Florida later this week. A&M faces the Gamecocks, Thursday at 4 p.m. (CT) in Columbia, South Carolina, and then takes on the defending SEC-champion and league-leading Gators, Saturday at 12 p.m. (CT) in Gainesville, Florida.
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.
Texas A&M Head Coach Mark Weaver quotes:
On his general thoughts on match…
"It definitely was a tough one to take. We came out on fire in the doubles. I think it probably was the best doubles we have played. It came down towards the end with Rutuja (Bhosale) and Saska (Gavrilovska). Both of those matches could have gone either way. They could have just as well gone to us, a point here and a point there. There were probably some loose points we played on some big points kind of early on in some of the matches, where if we had played some of the points a little bit better and a little bit sharper, maybe it would not have come down to the wire, where basically it could have gone either way. Maybe some key points if we had capitalize on then we might not have ever gotten down to the nitty-gritty like we did there at the end.
"I knew it was going to be a tough match, for sure. I knew it could go either way. I really felt good going into the match. But it's just part of competition, just two very good teams battling it out. It was some tough conditions with the wind, but it was the same for both sides, so I can't use that as an excuse, but it definitely made for some tough tennis. It's hard to kind of play your best tennis, and it is just really a matter of a big battle of who is mentally tougher. In the end, Arkansas just played the big points, and it went their way."
#26 Arkansas 4, #17 Texas A&M 3
George P. Mitchell Tennis Center
College Station, Texas
March 27, 2016
Singles
1. #83 Yuliya Lysa (ARK) def. #32 Saska Gavrilovska (A&M), 6-3, 5-7, 6-4
2. Rachel Pierson (A&M) def. #88 Ana Oparenovic (ARK), 6-4, 6-2
3. Shannon Hudson (ARK) def. Rutuja Bhosale (A&M), 0-6, 6-4, 6-4,
4. Makenzie Craft (ARK) def. Domenica Gonzalez (A&M), 6-4, 6-1
5. Ines Deheza (A&M) def. Mia Jurasic (ARK), 6-3, 6-4
6. Sasha Shkorupeieva (ARK) def. Eva Paalma (A&M), 7-6 (6), 6-2
Doubles
1. #42 Paalma/Pierson (A&M) def. Hudson/Lysa (ARK), 6-4
2. #44 Bhosale/Anna Mamalat (A&M) def. Araujo/Craft (ARK), 6-3
3. Deheza/ Gonzalez (A&M) vs. Jurasic/ Oparenovic (ARK), 5-3 unfinished
Order of finish
Singles: 4, 2, 6, 5, 3, 1
Doubles: 1, 2
Team records:
Texas A&M: 12-7, 4-4 SEC
Arkansas: 15-7, 4-3 SEC
Texas A&M Pronunciation Guide:
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 anna MAM-ah-LOT
Eva Paalma A-va paul-ma
Texas A&M, which entered the match 10-0 at home and riding a 14-match home win streak dating to last year, falls to 12-7 overall and 4-4 in Southeastern Conference matches only.
Arkansas improves to 15-7 overall, including 4-3 in league play.
A&M got off to a promising start by winning the doubles point to take a 1-0 lead. The 42nd-ranked duo of Eva Paalma and Rachel Pierson never trailed before pulling away for a 6-4 victory over Arkansas' Shannon Hudson and Yuliya Lysa at the No. 1 line.
Rutuja Bhosale, who was celebrating her 20th birthday, and partner Anna Mamalat quickly followed, as the 44th-ranked tandem defeated Flavia Araujo and Makenzie Craft at the No. 2 line to secure the point for the Aggies.
A&M's Ines Deheza and Domenica Gonzalez held a 5-3 lead over Mia Jurasic and Ana Oparenovic at the No. 3 line when play was stopped.
Arkansas tied the score at 1-1 at the start of singles as Craft jumped out to a 4-1 first-set lead against Gonzalez at No. 4. Gonzalez got within 4-3 and 5-4 and was serving to tie the frame, but Craft broke to win the set. Craft then raced to a 6-1 win in the second set to complete the victory and even the team score.
Pierson returned the lead to A&M with a ranked win at No. 2. Pierson went up a break at 5-4 against 88th-ranked and reigning SEC freshman of the week Ana Oparenovic and then held serve to close out the first. Pierson then jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the second set en route to a 6-2 win to close out the match.
Arkansas tied the score at 2-2 as Sasha Shkorupeieva held off a near first-set comeback by Paalma at No. 6. Shkorupeieva had taken a 4-1 lead in the opening set and was up 5-3 when Paalma rallied to take a 6-5 lead and was serving for the set. Shkorupeieva broke Paalma's serve to tie the set at 6-6 and force a tiebreaker. Shkorupeieva stayed close and took her first lead in the tiebreaker at 6-5. Paalma managed to even the score at 6-6, but Shkorupeieva won the next two points to pull out the 7-6 first-set victory.
In the second set, Shkorupeieva pulled away by winning four consecutive games to cap a 6-2 victory.
Deheza gave the Aggies a 3-2 lead with a straight-set win over Jurasic at No. 5. The senior from Bolivia jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the first set and won 6-3. Jurasic got off to a quick start in the second set and was up, 4-2, before Deheza reeled off four consecutive games to win the set, 6-4, and complete the straight-set win.
Hudson tied the team score for a third time with a win over Bhosale at No. 3. Despite dropping the first seven games of the match, Hudson came back to win, 0-6, 6-4, 6-4, and tie the team score 3-3, forcing the overall team victory to come down to the last match standing.
In a match-up of ranked opponents, No. 83 Lysa had won the first set against A&M's 32nd-ranked Saska Gavrilovska, 6-3, at No. 1. Gavrilovska, however, overcame a 4-1 deficit in the second set to win, 7-5, and force a third set. Lysa never trailed in the final frame and held a 5-3 lead when Bhosale and Hudson completed their match on the adjoining court. Gavrilovska won the next game to get within 5-4 before Lysa won the no-ad point in the ensuing game to win the match and clinch the victory for the Razorbacks.
It marked Arkansas' first victory in College Station in the all-time series, having gone home winless in seven previous visits to College Station. It also marked the Razorbacks' first victory against A&M since the former Southwest Conference foe joined the SEC for the 2013 season.
Next up for the Aggies is a challenging road trip to No. 8 South Carolina and No. 7 Florida later this week. A&M faces the Gamecocks, Thursday at 4 p.m. (CT) in Columbia, South Carolina, and then takes on the defending SEC-champion and league-leading Gators, Saturday at 12 p.m. (CT) in Gainesville, Florida.
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.
Texas A&M Head Coach Mark Weaver quotes:
On his general thoughts on match…
"It definitely was a tough one to take. We came out on fire in the doubles. I think it probably was the best doubles we have played. It came down towards the end with Rutuja (Bhosale) and Saska (Gavrilovska). Both of those matches could have gone either way. They could have just as well gone to us, a point here and a point there. There were probably some loose points we played on some big points kind of early on in some of the matches, where if we had played some of the points a little bit better and a little bit sharper, maybe it would not have come down to the wire, where basically it could have gone either way. Maybe some key points if we had capitalize on then we might not have ever gotten down to the nitty-gritty like we did there at the end.
"I knew it was going to be a tough match, for sure. I knew it could go either way. I really felt good going into the match. But it's just part of competition, just two very good teams battling it out. It was some tough conditions with the wind, but it was the same for both sides, so I can't use that as an excuse, but it definitely made for some tough tennis. It's hard to kind of play your best tennis, and it is just really a matter of a big battle of who is mentally tougher. In the end, Arkansas just played the big points, and it went their way."
#26 Arkansas 4, #17 Texas A&M 3
George P. Mitchell Tennis Center
College Station, Texas
March 27, 2016
Singles
1. #83 Yuliya Lysa (ARK) def. #32 Saska Gavrilovska (A&M), 6-3, 5-7, 6-4
2. Rachel Pierson (A&M) def. #88 Ana Oparenovic (ARK), 6-4, 6-2
3. Shannon Hudson (ARK) def. Rutuja Bhosale (A&M), 0-6, 6-4, 6-4,
4. Makenzie Craft (ARK) def. Domenica Gonzalez (A&M), 6-4, 6-1
5. Ines Deheza (A&M) def. Mia Jurasic (ARK), 6-3, 6-4
6. Sasha Shkorupeieva (ARK) def. Eva Paalma (A&M), 7-6 (6), 6-2
Doubles
1. #42 Paalma/Pierson (A&M) def. Hudson/Lysa (ARK), 6-4
2. #44 Bhosale/Anna Mamalat (A&M) def. Araujo/Craft (ARK), 6-3
3. Deheza/ Gonzalez (A&M) vs. Jurasic/ Oparenovic (ARK), 5-3 unfinished
Order of finish
Singles: 4, 2, 6, 5, 3, 1
Doubles: 1, 2
Team records:
Texas A&M: 12-7, 4-4 SEC
Arkansas: 15-7, 4-3 SEC
Texas A&M Pronunciation Guide:
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 anna 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
Georgia Postgame: Mark Weaver, Mary Stoiana, Mia Kupres
Sunday, May 18
Michigan Postgame: Mark Weaver, Nicole Khirin, Lexington Reed
Saturday, May 17
NCAA Team Championship Preview: Daria Smetannikov
Monday, May 12
NCAA Team Championship Preview: Mia Kupres
Monday, May 12
