Friday, April 15
College Station
2:30 PM
Texas A&M
4
vs
0
LSU
Photo by: Texas A&M Athletics
Aggies Celebrate Senior Day with 4-0 Victory over No. 18 LSU
Apr 15, 2016 | Women's Tennis
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – No. 19 Texas A&M celebrated Senior Day today at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center with a 4-0 victory over No. 18 LSU in both teams' final match of the regular season.
Texas A&M (15-9, 7-6 SEC) and LSU (17-10, 6-7 SEC) entered the match tied for sixth place in the Southeastern Conference standings and vying to improve their seed going into the SEC Tournament and better their chances of hosting NCAA Championship first and second rounds.
A&M, which prior to the match honored seniors Ines Deheza, Stefania Hristov and Anna Mamalat, the last remaining players from A&M's historic 2013 NCAA Championship finals appearance, won the first two doubles matches to be completed to take a 1-0 lead. Eva Paalma and Rachel Pierson, No. 30 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) national doubles rankings, got the break they needed to take a 4-3 lead against Ryann Foster and Abby Owens at the No. 1 line. Both teams then held serve for the remainder of the match, with Pierson serving out the 6-4 victory.
Mamalat and her partner, Rutuja Bhosale, followed a similar pattern, going up a break against LSU's Skylar Holloway and Skylar Kuykendall to take a 4-3 lead at No. 2. The teams then held serve for the rest of the match, with the 69th-ranked A&M duo clinching the doubles point with the 6-4 victory. It was the sixth consecutive win for Bhosale and Mamalat, who finished 7-1 in conference matches only.
LSU's Ella Taylor and Joana Vale Costa had jumped out to a 5-1 lead over Deheza and Saska Gavrilovska at the No. 3 line. The Aggie tandem had climbed back within 5-3 before the doubles point was secured and the match was abandoned.
Once singles began, A&M pulled away to win first sets at the Nos. 1-3 lines, while LSU had taken early control at Nos. 5 and 6, and also had a major comeback at No. 4.
Bhosale, who reappeared in the ITA singles rankings this week at No. 105, gave the Aggies a 2-0 lead with a 6-3, 6-3 win over 57th-ranked Jessica Golovin at No. 2. It was Bhosale's fourth consecutive victory, including her third consecutive win against a ranked opponent.
Gavrilovska, ranked 32nd, then gave the Aggies a 3-0 lead as she pulled off her second highest ranked win of the dual match season with a 7-5, 7-5 victory over 20th-ranked Vale Costa at No. 1.
Pierson overcame a 3-1 first-set deficit against Foster at No. 3 to win the frame, 7-5. Pierson then jumped out to a 4-0 second-set lead before Foster rallied to get within 5-4. Pierson then won the next game to close out the match and clinch the winning point for the Maroon and White.
With the team victor determined, the remaining matches were not completed. Kuykendall had overcome a 4-1 first-set deficit to force a tiebreaker against Deheza at the No. 4 line. Kuykendall easily won the tiebreaker, 7-2, but Deheza held a 5-2 second-set lead when the match was abandoned.
Aggie freshman Domenica Gonzalez was just beginning a third set against Owens at No. 5 when play was halted. Owens, who entered the match riding a team-best six-match win streak and boasting an 11-0 record in SEC matches at the No. 5 position, had jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the opening set and held on to win, 6-4. Gonzalez, however, evened the match after pulling away for a 7-5 second-set victory. Owens broke Gonzalez in the opening game of the third set before play was stopped.
Paalma had dropped her opening set, 6-3, against Taylor at No. 6, but won three consecutive games to close out a 6-3 second-set win. Paalma was up a break, 3-1, in the final frame before Pierson clinched the match, and play was stopped.
The final conference standings and tournament seeds will be announced Sunday. The SEC Tournament runs Wednesday-Sunday, April 20-24, at the LSU Tennis Complex in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
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 the team's doubles play…
"It was a tricky one. The doubles was pretty close. We had a rough start at the beginning of doubles. I don't know if it was the whole Senior Day (ceremony) before. I think we actually lost the first 11 points of the doubles, so it was kind of a bit of a strange one. I knew that if we could overcome that first barrage with LSU coming out on fire…I don't know if it was the Senior Day or what, but when you lose 11 straight points, you know something is up. But all credit to the girls for overcoming that.
"No. 1 and 2 doubles have played excellent tennis. No. 2 has played excellent all year and No. 1 has really come along in the second half of the season, and I want to give No. 3 some credit. That is a team that we threw in for the (third) time this year and they got way down 5-1 and got back within 5-3. Psychologically that kind of keeps us in that doubles point, so I want to give them some credit as well even though they didn't necessarily get the win. I just kept telling them to hang in there and that would help us at No. 1 and 2 doubles.
On the singles play…
"The matches were very close. At one point it looked like it could go either way, maybe halfway through the singles. On the other hand, we could have won that 7-0. I'm not saying that we would have, but we were either up in all the other matches or dead even. So I couldn't be more delighted with the girls. We truly have made a little bit of progress inch-by-inch, week-by-week, and we are starting to show our true colors about how good of a team we really are. It couldn't be better timing, and hopefully we can continue that on into the conference tournament.
"It was getting down to the nitty-gritty there maybe halfway through the singles. The good news is we kind of started to pull away. You need a little margin for error at times, and the good news is that Rachel (Pierson) was able to close it out, and even if she does end of splitting, we had some good opportunities on the other courts as well, so it really kind of takes some pressure Rachel as well. I think she was feeling the pressure, but it definitely takes the pressure off a little when you look at all the scoreboards and we are right in there."
On the three seniors who were freshmen on the 2013 NCAA finalist team…
"It was a special day. We talked about that before in the locker room, it is amazing how the time flies. It was just a few years ago all three girls were freshmen and were in the finals of the NCAAs. With any luck, we win that match. It is just hard to believe, it seems like just the other day we were there. I'm happy for Anna (Mamalat) in the doubles, Ines (Deheza) in singles and toughing it out. Stefania (Hristov) unfortunately had the shoulder injury which was a huge blow to our team. I don't know if people quite realize that, but Stefania is our team leader, wins and losses in singles and doubles and was as good as anyone on the team. The girls have really done a great job of overcoming that. With such a small roster as we always have, that was a huge blow losing Stefania for the year. Stefania has enjoyed her role of helping out the girls, and the girls have enjoyed her presence out there, and she has been a big plus in these matches."
#19 Texas A&M 4, #18 LSU 0
George P. Mitchell Tennis Center
College Station, Texas
April 15, 2016
Singles
1. #32 Saska Gavrilovska (A&M) def. #20 Joana Vale Costa (LSU), 7-5, 7-5
2. #105 Rutuja Bhosale (A&M) def. #57 Jessica Golovin (LSU), 6-3, 6-3
3. Rachel Pierson (A&M) def. Ryann Foster (LSU), 7-5, 6-4
4. Ines Deheza (A&M) vs. Skylar Kuykendall (LSU), 6-7 (2), 5-2 unfinished
5. Domenica Gonzalez (A&M) vs. Abby Owens (LSU), 4-6, 7-5, 0-1
6. Eva Paalma (A&M) vs. Ella Taylor (LSU), 3-6, 6-3, 3-1
Doubles (A&M wins the point)
1. #30 Paalma/Pierson (A&M) def. Foster/Owens (LSU), 6-4
2. #69 Bhosale/Anna Mamalat (A&M) def. Skylar Holloway/Kuykendall (LSU), 6-4
3. Deheza/Gavrilovska (A&M) vs. Taylor/Vale Costa (LSU), 3-5 unfinished
Order of finish
Singles: 2, 1, 3
Doubles: 1, 2
Team records:
Texas A&M: 15-9, 7-6 SEC
LSU: 17-10, 6-7 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 (15-9, 7-6 SEC) and LSU (17-10, 6-7 SEC) entered the match tied for sixth place in the Southeastern Conference standings and vying to improve their seed going into the SEC Tournament and better their chances of hosting NCAA Championship first and second rounds.
A&M, which prior to the match honored seniors Ines Deheza, Stefania Hristov and Anna Mamalat, the last remaining players from A&M's historic 2013 NCAA Championship finals appearance, won the first two doubles matches to be completed to take a 1-0 lead. Eva Paalma and Rachel Pierson, No. 30 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) national doubles rankings, got the break they needed to take a 4-3 lead against Ryann Foster and Abby Owens at the No. 1 line. Both teams then held serve for the remainder of the match, with Pierson serving out the 6-4 victory.
Mamalat and her partner, Rutuja Bhosale, followed a similar pattern, going up a break against LSU's Skylar Holloway and Skylar Kuykendall to take a 4-3 lead at No. 2. The teams then held serve for the rest of the match, with the 69th-ranked A&M duo clinching the doubles point with the 6-4 victory. It was the sixth consecutive win for Bhosale and Mamalat, who finished 7-1 in conference matches only.
LSU's Ella Taylor and Joana Vale Costa had jumped out to a 5-1 lead over Deheza and Saska Gavrilovska at the No. 3 line. The Aggie tandem had climbed back within 5-3 before the doubles point was secured and the match was abandoned.
Once singles began, A&M pulled away to win first sets at the Nos. 1-3 lines, while LSU had taken early control at Nos. 5 and 6, and also had a major comeback at No. 4.
Bhosale, who reappeared in the ITA singles rankings this week at No. 105, gave the Aggies a 2-0 lead with a 6-3, 6-3 win over 57th-ranked Jessica Golovin at No. 2. It was Bhosale's fourth consecutive victory, including her third consecutive win against a ranked opponent.
Gavrilovska, ranked 32nd, then gave the Aggies a 3-0 lead as she pulled off her second highest ranked win of the dual match season with a 7-5, 7-5 victory over 20th-ranked Vale Costa at No. 1.
Pierson overcame a 3-1 first-set deficit against Foster at No. 3 to win the frame, 7-5. Pierson then jumped out to a 4-0 second-set lead before Foster rallied to get within 5-4. Pierson then won the next game to close out the match and clinch the winning point for the Maroon and White.
With the team victor determined, the remaining matches were not completed. Kuykendall had overcome a 4-1 first-set deficit to force a tiebreaker against Deheza at the No. 4 line. Kuykendall easily won the tiebreaker, 7-2, but Deheza held a 5-2 second-set lead when the match was abandoned.
Aggie freshman Domenica Gonzalez was just beginning a third set against Owens at No. 5 when play was halted. Owens, who entered the match riding a team-best six-match win streak and boasting an 11-0 record in SEC matches at the No. 5 position, had jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the opening set and held on to win, 6-4. Gonzalez, however, evened the match after pulling away for a 7-5 second-set victory. Owens broke Gonzalez in the opening game of the third set before play was stopped.
Paalma had dropped her opening set, 6-3, against Taylor at No. 6, but won three consecutive games to close out a 6-3 second-set win. Paalma was up a break, 3-1, in the final frame before Pierson clinched the match, and play was stopped.
The final conference standings and tournament seeds will be announced Sunday. The SEC Tournament runs Wednesday-Sunday, April 20-24, at the LSU Tennis Complex in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
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 the team's doubles play…
"It was a tricky one. The doubles was pretty close. We had a rough start at the beginning of doubles. I don't know if it was the whole Senior Day (ceremony) before. I think we actually lost the first 11 points of the doubles, so it was kind of a bit of a strange one. I knew that if we could overcome that first barrage with LSU coming out on fire…I don't know if it was the Senior Day or what, but when you lose 11 straight points, you know something is up. But all credit to the girls for overcoming that.
"No. 1 and 2 doubles have played excellent tennis. No. 2 has played excellent all year and No. 1 has really come along in the second half of the season, and I want to give No. 3 some credit. That is a team that we threw in for the (third) time this year and they got way down 5-1 and got back within 5-3. Psychologically that kind of keeps us in that doubles point, so I want to give them some credit as well even though they didn't necessarily get the win. I just kept telling them to hang in there and that would help us at No. 1 and 2 doubles.
On the singles play…
"The matches were very close. At one point it looked like it could go either way, maybe halfway through the singles. On the other hand, we could have won that 7-0. I'm not saying that we would have, but we were either up in all the other matches or dead even. So I couldn't be more delighted with the girls. We truly have made a little bit of progress inch-by-inch, week-by-week, and we are starting to show our true colors about how good of a team we really are. It couldn't be better timing, and hopefully we can continue that on into the conference tournament.
"It was getting down to the nitty-gritty there maybe halfway through the singles. The good news is we kind of started to pull away. You need a little margin for error at times, and the good news is that Rachel (Pierson) was able to close it out, and even if she does end of splitting, we had some good opportunities on the other courts as well, so it really kind of takes some pressure Rachel as well. I think she was feeling the pressure, but it definitely takes the pressure off a little when you look at all the scoreboards and we are right in there."
On the three seniors who were freshmen on the 2013 NCAA finalist team…
"It was a special day. We talked about that before in the locker room, it is amazing how the time flies. It was just a few years ago all three girls were freshmen and were in the finals of the NCAAs. With any luck, we win that match. It is just hard to believe, it seems like just the other day we were there. I'm happy for Anna (Mamalat) in the doubles, Ines (Deheza) in singles and toughing it out. Stefania (Hristov) unfortunately had the shoulder injury which was a huge blow to our team. I don't know if people quite realize that, but Stefania is our team leader, wins and losses in singles and doubles and was as good as anyone on the team. The girls have really done a great job of overcoming that. With such a small roster as we always have, that was a huge blow losing Stefania for the year. Stefania has enjoyed her role of helping out the girls, and the girls have enjoyed her presence out there, and she has been a big plus in these matches."
#19 Texas A&M 4, #18 LSU 0
George P. Mitchell Tennis Center
College Station, Texas
April 15, 2016
Singles
1. #32 Saska Gavrilovska (A&M) def. #20 Joana Vale Costa (LSU), 7-5, 7-5
2. #105 Rutuja Bhosale (A&M) def. #57 Jessica Golovin (LSU), 6-3, 6-3
3. Rachel Pierson (A&M) def. Ryann Foster (LSU), 7-5, 6-4
4. Ines Deheza (A&M) vs. Skylar Kuykendall (LSU), 6-7 (2), 5-2 unfinished
5. Domenica Gonzalez (A&M) vs. Abby Owens (LSU), 4-6, 7-5, 0-1
6. Eva Paalma (A&M) vs. Ella Taylor (LSU), 3-6, 6-3, 3-1
Doubles (A&M wins the point)
1. #30 Paalma/Pierson (A&M) def. Foster/Owens (LSU), 6-4
2. #69 Bhosale/Anna Mamalat (A&M) def. Skylar Holloway/Kuykendall (LSU), 6-4
3. Deheza/Gavrilovska (A&M) vs. Taylor/Vale Costa (LSU), 3-5 unfinished
Order of finish
Singles: 2, 1, 3
Doubles: 1, 2
Team records:
Texas A&M: 15-9, 7-6 SEC
LSU: 17-10, 6-7 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
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