
No. 15 Texas A&M Hosts Princeton, Thursday, 3 p.m.
Feb 01, 2017 | Women's Tennis
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M and Princeton put their undefeated records on the line when the teams clash Thursday at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center. The first-ever meeting between the two programs is slated to begin at 3 p.m., and everyone with a valid Texas A&M student ID will be admitted free.
"We are looking forward to being back in College Station and playing on our home courts against Princeton," Texas A&M second-year head coach Mark Weaver said. "We have come back from a long yet successful five-day trip at Miami, so one of the keys will be to get right back to work and be ready to compete once again. We have been taking a step forward in each of the four matches thus far, and that ultimately needs to be the mindset going in to this match."
Texas A&M improved to 4-0 after defeating both South Alabama and then-No. 12 Miami at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend in Coral Gables, Florida, to earn a berth in the prestigious 16-team ITA Division I National Team Indoor Championship, Feb. 10-13 at Yale. Propelled by the stunning 4-2 victory at Miami, the Aggies vaulted seven spots to No. 15 in this week's Oracle/ITA Division I Women's Collegiate Tennis Rankings.
Princeton, in the midst of a three-day, three-match road swing through Texas, is 3-0 after rallying to defeat UT Arlington, 4-1, Wednesday in Arlington, Texas. The Tigers, who dropped the doubles point and lost the first set in three of their four singles victories against the Mavericks, close out their road trip Saturday in Houston against the Rice Owls, who come to College Station on Sunday to take on the Aggies.
Texas A&M is led by Tina Bokhua, who is a team-high No. 57 in the national singles rankings. The junior is 4-0 in singles matches this spring and is riding a team-best six-match win streak dating back to the fall tournament season. Senior Rachel Pierson, a Princeton, New Jersey, native, is No. 85 in the national singles rankings and leads the Aggies with a 13-4 overall record in singles. She was riding a six-match win streak until she fell to sixth-ranked Sinead Lohan of Miami in her most recent outing.
Senior Rutuja Bhosale, the reigning SEC Player of the Week, and junior Macarena Olivares, who clinched the winning point against the Hurricanes, sport identical 3-0 singles records in dual match play.
The Aggies have won the doubles point in all four matches, with 17th ranked Bhosale and Pierson clinching the point in each of the last three matches. The senior tandem is a team-best 14-2 overall and is riding a six-match winning streak dating back to the fall season.
With a victory against Princeton, Texas A&M would improve to 5-0 for the first time since 2002 and the eighth time in school history, equaling the 1983, 1985, 1988, 1996, 1998, 2001 and 2002 teams for best start after five matches. Only the 1998 and 2001 squads won more than five matches without a loss to start a season, with the '98 Aggies opening their season with a school-record seven consecutive victories before suffering their first loss.
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 are looking forward to being back in College Station and playing on our home courts against Princeton," Texas A&M second-year head coach Mark Weaver said. "We have come back from a long yet successful five-day trip at Miami, so one of the keys will be to get right back to work and be ready to compete once again. We have been taking a step forward in each of the four matches thus far, and that ultimately needs to be the mindset going in to this match."
Texas A&M improved to 4-0 after defeating both South Alabama and then-No. 12 Miami at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend in Coral Gables, Florida, to earn a berth in the prestigious 16-team ITA Division I National Team Indoor Championship, Feb. 10-13 at Yale. Propelled by the stunning 4-2 victory at Miami, the Aggies vaulted seven spots to No. 15 in this week's Oracle/ITA Division I Women's Collegiate Tennis Rankings.
Princeton, in the midst of a three-day, three-match road swing through Texas, is 3-0 after rallying to defeat UT Arlington, 4-1, Wednesday in Arlington, Texas. The Tigers, who dropped the doubles point and lost the first set in three of their four singles victories against the Mavericks, close out their road trip Saturday in Houston against the Rice Owls, who come to College Station on Sunday to take on the Aggies.
Texas A&M is led by Tina Bokhua, who is a team-high No. 57 in the national singles rankings. The junior is 4-0 in singles matches this spring and is riding a team-best six-match win streak dating back to the fall tournament season. Senior Rachel Pierson, a Princeton, New Jersey, native, is No. 85 in the national singles rankings and leads the Aggies with a 13-4 overall record in singles. She was riding a six-match win streak until she fell to sixth-ranked Sinead Lohan of Miami in her most recent outing.
Senior Rutuja Bhosale, the reigning SEC Player of the Week, and junior Macarena Olivares, who clinched the winning point against the Hurricanes, sport identical 3-0 singles records in dual match play.
The Aggies have won the doubles point in all four matches, with 17th ranked Bhosale and Pierson clinching the point in each of the last three matches. The senior tandem is a team-best 14-2 overall and is riding a six-match winning streak dating back to the fall season.
With a victory against Princeton, Texas A&M would improve to 5-0 for the first time since 2002 and the eighth time in school history, equaling the 1983, 1985, 1988, 1996, 1998, 2001 and 2002 teams for best start after five matches. Only the 1998 and 2001 squads won more than five matches without a loss to start a season, with the '98 Aggies opening their season with a school-record seven consecutive victories before suffering their first loss.
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
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NCAA Team Championship Preview: Mia Kupres
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