Friday, April 22
Baton Rouge, La.
10:00 AM
Texas A&M
1
vs
4
Georgia
Photo by: Texas A&M Athletics
Texas A&M Falls to No. 4 Georgia, 4-1, in SEC Quarterfinals
Apr 22, 2016 | Women's Tennis
BATON ROUGE, La. – No. 18 Texas A&M lost a tightly contested battle for the doubles point, and the Aggies' comeback in singles fell short as they suffered a 4-1 loss to fourth-ranked Georgia in quarterfinal action at the SEC Women's Tennis Championship today at the LSU Tennis Complex.
"We definitely had some chances in the doubles that would have perhaps set a different tone going into the singles," A&M first-year head coach Mark Weaver said. "Georgia got off to a great start in singles. We made a great push and came back in most of the matches, and for a while it looked like we were going to have a shot at sneaking away with it today. Georgia was able to raise it a half-level or so right at the end to pull away with the win."
A&M, the No. 6 seed in the 14-team field, drops to 16-10 and now awaits the announcement of the 64-team NCAA Championship field on May 3. Georgia, the No. 3 seed, improves to 19-3 and advances to the semifinals for a sixth consecutive year and will face No. 2 seed Vanderbilt.
All three doubles matches were on serve just past the halfway mark. At the No. 1 court, A&M's 31st-ranked Eva Paalma and Rachel Pierson put their match against 12th-ranked Ellen Perez and Mariana Gould on serve after breaking the Bulldogs to get within 4-3. The Aggies then won the no-ad point in the next game to hold serve and even the match at 4-4. Georgia, however, pulled away to win the next two games to get the 6-4 win.
In another match-up of ranked opponents, A&M's 72nd-ranked Rutuja Bhosale and Anna Mamalat extended their team-leading win streak to seven matches with a 6-3 victory over 66th-ranked Silvia Garcia and Kennedy Shaffer at the No. 2 line. The match was on serve at 4-3 before A&M broke the Bulldogs to go up 5-3. The Aggies then held serve to notch the victory.
The doubles point came down to the No. 3 court. The match was on serve at 4-4 before Georgia's Caroline Brinson and Laura Patterson won a no-ad point to break A&M's Ines Deheza and Saska Gavrilovska. The Aggie duo broke back, winning a no-ad point in the ensuing game to put the match back on serve at 5-5. The next came also was tied 40-40, with Georgia once again winning the no-ad point to break and take a 6-5 lead. The Bulldogs then held serve to close out a 7-5 victory and clinch the doubles point.
In singles, Georgia won the first set on five courts, including one that was decided by a tiebreaker. Perez, the No. 3-ranked singles player in the nation, went on to complete a straight-set victory, defeating 25th-ranked Saska Gavrilovska, 6-2, 6-2, at the No. 1 line to put the Bulldogs ahead, 2-0.
Pierson was the only A&M player to win a first set. The junior from Princeton, New Jersey, who entered the match riding a four-match win streak, jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the opening set against 97th-ranked Garcia at the No. 3 line. Garcia got within 5-4 but was unable to hold her serve as Pierson went on to win, 6-4.
The second set was on serve with Pierson up, 5-4, but Garcia double-faulted at match point to give Pierson the 6-4, 6-4 victory, putting the Aggies on the scoreboard.
Bhosale, Deheza, and Paalma had all dropped their first sets but rebounded with second-set wins. Domenica Gonzalez also lost her first set, which was decided by a tiebreaker.
Brinson, ranked 30th, gave the Bulldogs a 3-1 lead after pulling away from Deheza, 6-1, 3-6, 6-0, at No. 4. Gould then clinched the Georgia victory at the No. 5 line, holding off Gonzalez, 7-6 (2) in the opening set and then winning the final two games to take the second set, 6-4.
Bhosale, who lost her first set, 6-2, against 47th-ranked Shaffer at No. 2, had won the second 6-3. The third set was knotted at 4-4 when play was stopped.
Paalma's match at No. 6 was abandoned with the Estonian trailing 4-1 in the third set. Patterson had won the first set, 6-4, and Paalma took the second set by the identical score to force the third set.
The Aggies are expecting to receive their 17th consecutive and 22nd overall berth in the NCAA Championship. The NCAA Selection Show will be streamed on NCAA.com on May 3 at 4 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.
No. 4 Georgia 4, #18 Texas A&M 1
SEC Championship, Quarterfinals
LSU Tennis Complex, Baton Rouge, La.
Singles
1. #3 Ellen Perez (UGA) def. #25 Saska Gavrilovska (A&M), 6-2, 6-2
2. #74 Rutuja Bhosale (A&M) vs. #47 Kennedy Shaffer (UGA), 2-6, 6-3, 4-4 unfinished
3. Rachel Pierson (A&M) def. #97 Silvia Garcia (UGA), 6-4, 6-4
4. #30 Caroline Brinson (UGA) def. Ines Deheza (A&M), 6-1, 3-6, 6-0
5. Mariana Gould (UGA) def. Domenica Gonzalez (A&M), 7-6 (2), 6-4
6. Eva Paalma (A&M) vs. Laura Patterson (UGA), 4-6, 6-4, 1-4 unfinished
Doubles (UGA wins the point)
1. #12 Gould/Perez (UGA) def. #31 Paalma/Pierson (A&M), 6-4
2. #72 Bhosale/Anna Mamalat (A&M) def. #66 Garcia/Shaffer (UGA), 6-3
3. Brinson/Patterson (UGA) def. Deheza/Gavrilovska (A&M), 7-5
Order of finish
Doubles: 1, 2, 3
Singles: 1, 3, 4, 5
Team records:
Texas A&M: 16-10
Georgia: 19-3
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
"We definitely had some chances in the doubles that would have perhaps set a different tone going into the singles," A&M first-year head coach Mark Weaver said. "Georgia got off to a great start in singles. We made a great push and came back in most of the matches, and for a while it looked like we were going to have a shot at sneaking away with it today. Georgia was able to raise it a half-level or so right at the end to pull away with the win."
A&M, the No. 6 seed in the 14-team field, drops to 16-10 and now awaits the announcement of the 64-team NCAA Championship field on May 3. Georgia, the No. 3 seed, improves to 19-3 and advances to the semifinals for a sixth consecutive year and will face No. 2 seed Vanderbilt.
All three doubles matches were on serve just past the halfway mark. At the No. 1 court, A&M's 31st-ranked Eva Paalma and Rachel Pierson put their match against 12th-ranked Ellen Perez and Mariana Gould on serve after breaking the Bulldogs to get within 4-3. The Aggies then won the no-ad point in the next game to hold serve and even the match at 4-4. Georgia, however, pulled away to win the next two games to get the 6-4 win.
In another match-up of ranked opponents, A&M's 72nd-ranked Rutuja Bhosale and Anna Mamalat extended their team-leading win streak to seven matches with a 6-3 victory over 66th-ranked Silvia Garcia and Kennedy Shaffer at the No. 2 line. The match was on serve at 4-3 before A&M broke the Bulldogs to go up 5-3. The Aggies then held serve to notch the victory.
The doubles point came down to the No. 3 court. The match was on serve at 4-4 before Georgia's Caroline Brinson and Laura Patterson won a no-ad point to break A&M's Ines Deheza and Saska Gavrilovska. The Aggie duo broke back, winning a no-ad point in the ensuing game to put the match back on serve at 5-5. The next came also was tied 40-40, with Georgia once again winning the no-ad point to break and take a 6-5 lead. The Bulldogs then held serve to close out a 7-5 victory and clinch the doubles point.
In singles, Georgia won the first set on five courts, including one that was decided by a tiebreaker. Perez, the No. 3-ranked singles player in the nation, went on to complete a straight-set victory, defeating 25th-ranked Saska Gavrilovska, 6-2, 6-2, at the No. 1 line to put the Bulldogs ahead, 2-0.
Pierson was the only A&M player to win a first set. The junior from Princeton, New Jersey, who entered the match riding a four-match win streak, jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the opening set against 97th-ranked Garcia at the No. 3 line. Garcia got within 5-4 but was unable to hold her serve as Pierson went on to win, 6-4.
The second set was on serve with Pierson up, 5-4, but Garcia double-faulted at match point to give Pierson the 6-4, 6-4 victory, putting the Aggies on the scoreboard.
Bhosale, Deheza, and Paalma had all dropped their first sets but rebounded with second-set wins. Domenica Gonzalez also lost her first set, which was decided by a tiebreaker.
Brinson, ranked 30th, gave the Bulldogs a 3-1 lead after pulling away from Deheza, 6-1, 3-6, 6-0, at No. 4. Gould then clinched the Georgia victory at the No. 5 line, holding off Gonzalez, 7-6 (2) in the opening set and then winning the final two games to take the second set, 6-4.
Bhosale, who lost her first set, 6-2, against 47th-ranked Shaffer at No. 2, had won the second 6-3. The third set was knotted at 4-4 when play was stopped.
Paalma's match at No. 6 was abandoned with the Estonian trailing 4-1 in the third set. Patterson had won the first set, 6-4, and Paalma took the second set by the identical score to force the third set.
The Aggies are expecting to receive their 17th consecutive and 22nd overall berth in the NCAA Championship. The NCAA Selection Show will be streamed on NCAA.com on May 3 at 4 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.
No. 4 Georgia 4, #18 Texas A&M 1
SEC Championship, Quarterfinals
LSU Tennis Complex, Baton Rouge, La.
Singles
1. #3 Ellen Perez (UGA) def. #25 Saska Gavrilovska (A&M), 6-2, 6-2
2. #74 Rutuja Bhosale (A&M) vs. #47 Kennedy Shaffer (UGA), 2-6, 6-3, 4-4 unfinished
3. Rachel Pierson (A&M) def. #97 Silvia Garcia (UGA), 6-4, 6-4
4. #30 Caroline Brinson (UGA) def. Ines Deheza (A&M), 6-1, 3-6, 6-0
5. Mariana Gould (UGA) def. Domenica Gonzalez (A&M), 7-6 (2), 6-4
6. Eva Paalma (A&M) vs. Laura Patterson (UGA), 4-6, 6-4, 1-4 unfinished
Doubles (UGA wins the point)
1. #12 Gould/Perez (UGA) def. #31 Paalma/Pierson (A&M), 6-4
2. #72 Bhosale/Anna Mamalat (A&M) def. #66 Garcia/Shaffer (UGA), 6-3
3. Brinson/Patterson (UGA) def. Deheza/Gavrilovska (A&M), 7-5
Order of finish
Doubles: 1, 2, 3
Singles: 1, 3, 4, 5
Team records:
Texas A&M: 16-10
Georgia: 19-3
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
