Saturday, January 28
Coral Gables, Fla.
1:00 PM
Texas A&M
4
vs
0
South Alabama
Photo by: Sam Craft/Texas A&M Athletics
No. 22 Texas A&M Defeats South Alabama to Advance to Championship
Jan 28, 2017 | Women's Tennis
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The No. 22 Texas A&M women's tennis team will face No. 12 Miami in the championship match of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center on Sunday after defeating South Alabama, 4-0, in first-round action today.
"We just came out on fire for the first point in doubles, and we maintained a high level all the way through the match," A&M second-year head coach Mark Weaver said. "We had an amazing practice yesterday. It was by far the best we have had all year, so it was no surprise to me that we came out and definitely played our best match so far. We've gotten better every match, and we are primed to play some good tennis tomorrow against the Hurricanes."
Texas A&M improved to 3-0 with the victory against the Jaguars, who were playing their season opener.
Tina Bokhua and Stefania Hristov gave A&M the early edge in doubles as they cruised to a 6-2 victory over Laura Matuskova and Monica Mitta at the No. 3 line. The Aggies' 17th-ranked duo of Rutuja Bhosale and Rachel Pierson quickly followed, with Pierson smashing an overhead winner to punctuate a 6-2 victory against Patricia Martins and Laura Valkova at the No. 1 line to clinch the point. A&M's Eva Paalma and Dominica Gonzalez held a 5-2 advantage over Alexandria Stiteler and Alina Zolotareva at No. 2 when the doubles point was clinched.
"Anytime you can win a doubles point as decisively against a good team shows that we were ready to go," Weaver said. "And the singles was very good as well."
A&M began singles play by winning the first set on all six courts. Pierson, ranked No. 85 in the national singles rankings, won her first four games and went on to defeat Stiteler, 6-1, 6-1, at the No. 1 line to give the Aggies a 2-0 lead. It was the team-leading sixth consecutive singles victory for the Princeton, New Jersey, native.
Bhosale followed with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Mitta at No. 2 to give the Aggies a 3-0 lead, and 57th-ranked Bokhua clinched the team victory with a 6-1, 6-4 win against Valkova at No. 3.
A&M's Saska Gavrilovska held a 7-5, 4-2 lead over Matuskova at the No. 4 line, and Aggie Macarena Olivares was one game away from finishing, as she led Martins, 6-4, 5-0, at No. 5 when the matches were stopped. Paalma had won her first set, 6-3, against Zolotareva at No. 6, and the Jaguar held a 5-3 lead in the second set, but that match would also go unfinished.
"The decisive wins at Nos. 1, 2 and 3 is very encouraging, and we were in very good shape on the other three courts as well," said Weaver, whose head coaching career began with a victory against South Alabama at last year's ITA Kick-Off Weekend in College Station.
Earlier in the day, Miami defeated Brown, 4-0, in the Hurricanes' season opener to advance to Sunday's match. The top-25 matchup, which will mark A&M's first contest against a ranked this season, begins at 1 p.m. (12 p.m. CT), with the winner advancing to the ITA Division I National Team Indoor Championship next month at Yale.
"We have been the heavy favorite in the three matches we have played so far, so we are definitely looking forward to the challenge of playing a high-ranked team," Weaver added. "Miami has been generally a top 10-15 team for the last 10 or so years, but if we played like we did today, we are definitely going to have a good opportunity to be successful."
#22 Texas A&M 4, South Alabama 0
ITA Kick-Off Weekend, First Round
Neil Schiff Tennis Center
Coral Gables, Florida
Singles
1. #85 Rachel Pierson (A&M) def. Alexandria Stiteler (SA), 6-1, 6-1
2. Rutuja Bhosale (A&M) def. Monica Mitta (SA), 6-3, 6-2
3. #57 Tina Bokhua (A&M) def. Laura Valkova (SA), 6-1, 6-4
4. Saska Gavrilovska (A&M) vs. Laura Matuskova (SA), 7-5, 4-2 unfinished
5. Macarena Olivares (A&M) vs. Patricia Martins (SA), 6-4, 5-0 unfinished
6. Eva Paalma (A&M) vs. Alina Zolotareva (SA), 6-3, 3-5 unfinished
Doubles
1. (#17) Bhosale/Pierson (A&M) def. Valkova/Martins (SA), 6-2
2. Domenica Gonzalez/Paalma (A&M) vs. Stiteler/Zolotareva (SA), 5-2 unfinished
3. Bokhua/Hristov (A&M) def. Mitta/Matuskova (SA), 6-2
Match Notes:
South Alabama: 0-1
Texas A&M 3-0; National ranking #22
Order of finish: Doubles (3, 1); Singles (1, 2, 3)
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
"We just came out on fire for the first point in doubles, and we maintained a high level all the way through the match," A&M second-year head coach Mark Weaver said. "We had an amazing practice yesterday. It was by far the best we have had all year, so it was no surprise to me that we came out and definitely played our best match so far. We've gotten better every match, and we are primed to play some good tennis tomorrow against the Hurricanes."
Texas A&M improved to 3-0 with the victory against the Jaguars, who were playing their season opener.
Tina Bokhua and Stefania Hristov gave A&M the early edge in doubles as they cruised to a 6-2 victory over Laura Matuskova and Monica Mitta at the No. 3 line. The Aggies' 17th-ranked duo of Rutuja Bhosale and Rachel Pierson quickly followed, with Pierson smashing an overhead winner to punctuate a 6-2 victory against Patricia Martins and Laura Valkova at the No. 1 line to clinch the point. A&M's Eva Paalma and Dominica Gonzalez held a 5-2 advantage over Alexandria Stiteler and Alina Zolotareva at No. 2 when the doubles point was clinched.
"Anytime you can win a doubles point as decisively against a good team shows that we were ready to go," Weaver said. "And the singles was very good as well."
A&M began singles play by winning the first set on all six courts. Pierson, ranked No. 85 in the national singles rankings, won her first four games and went on to defeat Stiteler, 6-1, 6-1, at the No. 1 line to give the Aggies a 2-0 lead. It was the team-leading sixth consecutive singles victory for the Princeton, New Jersey, native.
Bhosale followed with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Mitta at No. 2 to give the Aggies a 3-0 lead, and 57th-ranked Bokhua clinched the team victory with a 6-1, 6-4 win against Valkova at No. 3.
A&M's Saska Gavrilovska held a 7-5, 4-2 lead over Matuskova at the No. 4 line, and Aggie Macarena Olivares was one game away from finishing, as she led Martins, 6-4, 5-0, at No. 5 when the matches were stopped. Paalma had won her first set, 6-3, against Zolotareva at No. 6, and the Jaguar held a 5-3 lead in the second set, but that match would also go unfinished.
"The decisive wins at Nos. 1, 2 and 3 is very encouraging, and we were in very good shape on the other three courts as well," said Weaver, whose head coaching career began with a victory against South Alabama at last year's ITA Kick-Off Weekend in College Station.
Earlier in the day, Miami defeated Brown, 4-0, in the Hurricanes' season opener to advance to Sunday's match. The top-25 matchup, which will mark A&M's first contest against a ranked this season, begins at 1 p.m. (12 p.m. CT), with the winner advancing to the ITA Division I National Team Indoor Championship next month at Yale.
"We have been the heavy favorite in the three matches we have played so far, so we are definitely looking forward to the challenge of playing a high-ranked team," Weaver added. "Miami has been generally a top 10-15 team for the last 10 or so years, but if we played like we did today, we are definitely going to have a good opportunity to be successful."
#22 Texas A&M 4, South Alabama 0
ITA Kick-Off Weekend, First Round
Neil Schiff Tennis Center
Coral Gables, Florida
Singles
1. #85 Rachel Pierson (A&M) def. Alexandria Stiteler (SA), 6-1, 6-1
2. Rutuja Bhosale (A&M) def. Monica Mitta (SA), 6-3, 6-2
3. #57 Tina Bokhua (A&M) def. Laura Valkova (SA), 6-1, 6-4
4. Saska Gavrilovska (A&M) vs. Laura Matuskova (SA), 7-5, 4-2 unfinished
5. Macarena Olivares (A&M) vs. Patricia Martins (SA), 6-4, 5-0 unfinished
6. Eva Paalma (A&M) vs. Alina Zolotareva (SA), 6-3, 3-5 unfinished
Doubles
1. (#17) Bhosale/Pierson (A&M) def. Valkova/Martins (SA), 6-2
2. Domenica Gonzalez/Paalma (A&M) vs. Stiteler/Zolotareva (SA), 5-2 unfinished
3. Bokhua/Hristov (A&M) def. Mitta/Matuskova (SA), 6-2
Match Notes:
South Alabama: 0-1
Texas A&M 3-0; National ranking #22
Order of finish: Doubles (3, 1); Singles (1, 2, 3)
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
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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