ATHENS, Ga. — Seniors Rutuja Bhosale (pronounced rue-too-jah BO-slay) and Rachel Pierson's Texas A&M tennis careers came to an end as the seventh-ranked pair fell to LSU's 16th-ranked Ryann Foster and Joana Valle Costa, 6-4, 3-6, 10-6, in the round of 16 today at the NCAA Women's Tennis Doubles Championships at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex.
"We actually played a good match and for sure were a level better than yesterday, Texas A&M head coach Mark Weaver said. "We had a bit of misfortune with some unlucky breaks to perhaps cost us the first set. We were able to bounce back and played a very good and more aggressive second set. We weren't able to capitalize on a few opportunities in the tiebreaker, and that was the difference."
Bhosale and Pierson went up a break early in the first set to take a 2-1 lead. The Tigers later put the set back on serve, 4-4, and then held to take a 5-4 lead. LSU then broke the Aggies to win the opening set, 6-4.
The second set was tied at 3-3 when the Aggies went up a break, 4-3. The Maroon and White went on to win the next two games to win the set, 6-3, and even the match at a set apiece to force a third set.
A 10-point tiebreaker was played for the third set. The Tigers jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but the Aggies came back to tie the score four times before taking their first lead, 6-5. The lead was short lived, however, as LSU would score the next four points to close out a 10-6 victory to win the match and advance to the quarterfinals.
Bhosale and Pierson set several program firsts this season while accruing a 26-12 record. They became A&M's first-ever All-Americans in doubles after receiving a No. 5-8 seed in the 32-team field, and they received an all-time record-high No. 4 ranking on April 11. Only the third doubles team in A&M history to ever reach the round of 16, they came up just short of becoming the first to ever reach the quarterfinals.
"Rachel and Rutuja had an amazing year for us," Weaver added, "and although it's hard knowing that is it for their careers in the maroon and white, they have so much to be proud of and feel good about what all they have accomplished. I certainly am proud of their achievements not only for this year, but for their entire career at Texas A&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: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/pages/Aggie-Womens-Tennis/143874782434654
Results:
NCAA Singles Championship
First Round, Wednesday, May 24
No. 5 Ena Shibahara (UCLA) def. No. 53 Rutuja Bhosale (Texas A&M), 6-4, 6-2
No. 70 Petra Melounova (Hawaii) def. No. 16 Rachel Pierson (Texas A&M), 7-6 (5), 6-3
NCAA Doubles Championship
First Round, Thursday, May 25
No. 7 Bhosale/Pierson (Texas A&M) def. Astrid Gehre/Anna Wichert (UTA), 7-5, 6-3
Round of 16, Friday, May 26
No. 16 Ryann Foster/Joana Valle Costa (LSU) def. No. 7 Bhosale/Pierson (Texas A&M) 6-4, 3-6, 10-6
"We actually played a good match and for sure were a level better than yesterday, Texas A&M head coach Mark Weaver said. "We had a bit of misfortune with some unlucky breaks to perhaps cost us the first set. We were able to bounce back and played a very good and more aggressive second set. We weren't able to capitalize on a few opportunities in the tiebreaker, and that was the difference."
Bhosale and Pierson went up a break early in the first set to take a 2-1 lead. The Tigers later put the set back on serve, 4-4, and then held to take a 5-4 lead. LSU then broke the Aggies to win the opening set, 6-4.
The second set was tied at 3-3 when the Aggies went up a break, 4-3. The Maroon and White went on to win the next two games to win the set, 6-3, and even the match at a set apiece to force a third set.
A 10-point tiebreaker was played for the third set. The Tigers jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but the Aggies came back to tie the score four times before taking their first lead, 6-5. The lead was short lived, however, as LSU would score the next four points to close out a 10-6 victory to win the match and advance to the quarterfinals.
Bhosale and Pierson set several program firsts this season while accruing a 26-12 record. They became A&M's first-ever All-Americans in doubles after receiving a No. 5-8 seed in the 32-team field, and they received an all-time record-high No. 4 ranking on April 11. Only the third doubles team in A&M history to ever reach the round of 16, they came up just short of becoming the first to ever reach the quarterfinals.
"Rachel and Rutuja had an amazing year for us," Weaver added, "and although it's hard knowing that is it for their careers in the maroon and white, they have so much to be proud of and feel good about what all they have accomplished. I certainly am proud of their achievements not only for this year, but for their entire career at Texas A&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: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/pages/Aggie-Womens-Tennis/143874782434654
Results:
NCAA Singles Championship
First Round, Wednesday, May 24
No. 5 Ena Shibahara (UCLA) def. No. 53 Rutuja Bhosale (Texas A&M), 6-4, 6-2
No. 70 Petra Melounova (Hawaii) def. No. 16 Rachel Pierson (Texas A&M), 7-6 (5), 6-3
NCAA Doubles Championship
First Round, Thursday, May 25
No. 7 Bhosale/Pierson (Texas A&M) def. Astrid Gehre/Anna Wichert (UTA), 7-5, 6-3
Round of 16, Friday, May 26
No. 16 Ryann Foster/Joana Valle Costa (LSU) def. No. 7 Bhosale/Pierson (Texas A&M) 6-4, 3-6, 10-6