Saturday, March 5
Tuscaloosa, Ala.
12:00 PM
Texas A&M
4
at
1
Alabama
Photo by: Texas A&M Athletics
No. 14 Texas A&M Defeats No. 38 Alabama, 4-1
Mar 05, 2016 | Women's Tennis
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – The 14th-ranked Texas A&M women's tennis team notched its first Southeastern Conference win of the young season with a convincing 4-1 victory over No. 38 Alabama today at the Alabama Tennis Stadium. Both teams were aiming to rebound after dropping their SEC openers on Thursday.
"It was an excellent win for a variety of reasons," A&M first-year head coach Mark Weaver said. "We bounced back from a tough loss to Auburn, and we came out and played perhaps our best match of the year."
Texas A&M, which entered the match 0-2 all-time in matches played in Tuscaloosa and trailing the all-time series, 4-3, improves to 9-4 overall and 1-1 in SEC matches only. The Crimson Tide, which was facing its third consecutive top 15 opponent, drops to 4-6 overall and 0-2 in SEC play.
A&M won the doubles point, with Ines Deheza and Domenica Gonzalez propelling the Aggies to a quick advantage with a 6-0 victory over Natalia Maynetto and Joanna Nena Savva at the No. 3 line. Eva Paalma and Rachel Pierson clinched the point at the No. 1 line as they pulled away for a 6-3 victory against 20th-ranked Erin Routliffe, who has won the NCAA doubles title each of the last two years, and her partner, Andie Daniell. It marked the highest ranked victory by an A&M doubles team in 2015-16.
A&M's 48th-ranked duo of Rutuja Bhosale and Anna Mamalat held a 4-2 lead over Aryn Greene and Danielle Spielmann at No. 2 when play was stopped.
"I am very happy that we came out and performed so well in the doubles," Weaver said. "That is something that we have been struggling with. We have made some great improvements, and it showed today. Alabama swept LSU on Thursday in the doubles, and we actually took it to them pretty handily today at all three positions. Deheza and Gonzalez are a new team that we are trying out, and they won decisively, 6-0."
The Aggies got off to a quick start in singles, winning the first set on four courts, including two 6-0 first-set shutouts. Deheza had the most commanding performance, winning her first 10 games en route to a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Greene at the No. 6 line, giving A&M a 2-0 lead.
Bhosale had won eight consecutive games over Savva at No. 3 and held off a late charge to put the Aggies ahead, 3-0, with a 6-0, 6-4 victory before Routliffe put the Tide on the scoreboard, pulling away for a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Pierson at No. 2 to get Alabama within 3-1.
The remaining three courts were being tightly contested before 53rd-ranked Gavrilovska finished off 38th-ranked Daniell, 6-4, 6-4, at No. 1 to secure the victory.
Maynetto had taken the first set against Paalma, 7-5, at the No. 4 line, and the second set was tied at 2-2 when play was stopped. Gonzalez's match also would go unfinished. The freshman, riding a team-leading six-match winning streak in singles, had won her first set, 6-3, against Spielmann at No. 5 and had overcome a 4-1 deficit in the second set to take a 6-5 lead when play was stopped.
"We were winning quite easily for the most part, and to Alabama's credit, they hung in there and things started to get a little tight and interesting towards the end," Weaver said. "Saska did a great job of closing it out for us today when the overall match was on the line."
The Aggies open their SEC home slate Friday, March 11 against No. 25 Mississippi State at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center. First serve is slated for 5 p.m.
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.
#14 Texas A&M 4, No. 38 Alabama 1
Alabama Tennis Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
March 5, 2016
Singles
1. #53 Saska Gavrilovska (A&M) def. #38 Andie Daniell (UA), 6-4, 6-4
2. Erin Routliffe (UA) def. Rachel Pierson (A&M), 6-4, 6-4
3. Rutuja Bhosale (A&M) def. Joanna Nena Savva (UA), 6-0, 6-4
4. Eva Paalma (A&M) vs. Natalia Maynetto (UA), 5-7, 2-2
5. Domenica Gonzalez (A&M) vs. Danielle Spielmann (UA), 6-3, 6-5
6. Ines Deheza (A&M) def. Aryn Greene (UA), 6-0, 6-1
Doubles (A&M wins the point)
1. Paalma/Pierson (A&M) def. #20 Daniell/Routliffe (UA), 6-3
2. #48 Bhosale/Mamalat (A&M) vs. Greene/Spielmann (UA), 4-2 unfinished
3. Deheza/Gonzalez (A&M) def. Maynetto/Savva (UA), 6-0
Order of finish
Doubles: 3, 2
Singles: 6, 3, 2, 1
Team records:
Texas A&M: 9-4, 1-1 SEC
Alabama: 4-6, 0-2 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
"It was an excellent win for a variety of reasons," A&M first-year head coach Mark Weaver said. "We bounced back from a tough loss to Auburn, and we came out and played perhaps our best match of the year."
Texas A&M, which entered the match 0-2 all-time in matches played in Tuscaloosa and trailing the all-time series, 4-3, improves to 9-4 overall and 1-1 in SEC matches only. The Crimson Tide, which was facing its third consecutive top 15 opponent, drops to 4-6 overall and 0-2 in SEC play.
A&M won the doubles point, with Ines Deheza and Domenica Gonzalez propelling the Aggies to a quick advantage with a 6-0 victory over Natalia Maynetto and Joanna Nena Savva at the No. 3 line. Eva Paalma and Rachel Pierson clinched the point at the No. 1 line as they pulled away for a 6-3 victory against 20th-ranked Erin Routliffe, who has won the NCAA doubles title each of the last two years, and her partner, Andie Daniell. It marked the highest ranked victory by an A&M doubles team in 2015-16.
A&M's 48th-ranked duo of Rutuja Bhosale and Anna Mamalat held a 4-2 lead over Aryn Greene and Danielle Spielmann at No. 2 when play was stopped.
"I am very happy that we came out and performed so well in the doubles," Weaver said. "That is something that we have been struggling with. We have made some great improvements, and it showed today. Alabama swept LSU on Thursday in the doubles, and we actually took it to them pretty handily today at all three positions. Deheza and Gonzalez are a new team that we are trying out, and they won decisively, 6-0."
The Aggies got off to a quick start in singles, winning the first set on four courts, including two 6-0 first-set shutouts. Deheza had the most commanding performance, winning her first 10 games en route to a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Greene at the No. 6 line, giving A&M a 2-0 lead.
Bhosale had won eight consecutive games over Savva at No. 3 and held off a late charge to put the Aggies ahead, 3-0, with a 6-0, 6-4 victory before Routliffe put the Tide on the scoreboard, pulling away for a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Pierson at No. 2 to get Alabama within 3-1.
The remaining three courts were being tightly contested before 53rd-ranked Gavrilovska finished off 38th-ranked Daniell, 6-4, 6-4, at No. 1 to secure the victory.
Maynetto had taken the first set against Paalma, 7-5, at the No. 4 line, and the second set was tied at 2-2 when play was stopped. Gonzalez's match also would go unfinished. The freshman, riding a team-leading six-match winning streak in singles, had won her first set, 6-3, against Spielmann at No. 5 and had overcome a 4-1 deficit in the second set to take a 6-5 lead when play was stopped.
"We were winning quite easily for the most part, and to Alabama's credit, they hung in there and things started to get a little tight and interesting towards the end," Weaver said. "Saska did a great job of closing it out for us today when the overall match was on the line."
The Aggies open their SEC home slate Friday, March 11 against No. 25 Mississippi State at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center. First serve is slated for 5 p.m.
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.
#14 Texas A&M 4, No. 38 Alabama 1
Alabama Tennis Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
March 5, 2016
Singles
1. #53 Saska Gavrilovska (A&M) def. #38 Andie Daniell (UA), 6-4, 6-4
2. Erin Routliffe (UA) def. Rachel Pierson (A&M), 6-4, 6-4
3. Rutuja Bhosale (A&M) def. Joanna Nena Savva (UA), 6-0, 6-4
4. Eva Paalma (A&M) vs. Natalia Maynetto (UA), 5-7, 2-2
5. Domenica Gonzalez (A&M) vs. Danielle Spielmann (UA), 6-3, 6-5
6. Ines Deheza (A&M) def. Aryn Greene (UA), 6-0, 6-1
Doubles (A&M wins the point)
1. Paalma/Pierson (A&M) def. #20 Daniell/Routliffe (UA), 6-3
2. #48 Bhosale/Mamalat (A&M) vs. Greene/Spielmann (UA), 4-2 unfinished
3. Deheza/Gonzalez (A&M) def. Maynetto/Savva (UA), 6-0
Order of finish
Doubles: 3, 2
Singles: 6, 3, 2, 1
Team records:
Texas A&M: 9-4, 1-1 SEC
Alabama: 4-6, 0-2 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
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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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