Friday, February 10
New Haven, Conn.
5:30 PM
Texas A&M
2
vs
4
Pepperdine
Photo by: Sam Craft/Texas A&M Athletics
No. 15 Texas A&M Falls to No. 3 Pepperdine, 4-2
Feb 10, 2017 | Women's Tennis
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Texas A&M's Rachel Pierson posted the second highest ranked singles victory of her collegiate career, but the 15th-ranked Aggies fell to No. 3 Pepperdine, 4-2, today in the first round of the ITA National Women's Team Indoor Championship at the Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center.
Texas A&M (5-2) will face No. 10 Duke in the consolation bracket at the Tennis & Fitness Center of Rocky Hill, in Rocky Hill, Connecticut, on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. (ET). The Waves improve to 3-1 and will face Georgia in the quarterfinals of the main draw.
"It was a well fought match from the Aggies," A&M head coach Mark Weaver said. "Pepperdine has an excellent team and will definitely be in contention for a national title in my opinion. I felt that the doubles point was a key. One or two points here and there and maybe we get the point. I give Pepperdine credit for their aggressive style of play which paid dividends in the indoor setting. The singles was pretty neck and neck and was competed pretty evenly all the way through. We were a little unfortunate at No. 4 singles having had set points at both 5-3 and 5-4. Overall, I feel that Pepperdine just came up with more of the bigger points than we did."
Texas A&M dropped the doubles point for only the second time this season en route to its second consecutive loss. Ashely Lahey and Apichaya Runglerdkriangkrai won four consecutive games to close out a 6-2 victory over A&M's Eva Paalma and Domenica Gonzalez at the No. 2 line, but the Aggie duo of Tina Bokhua and Macarena Olivares pulled away for a 6-3 win over Laura Gulbe and Dzina Milovanovic at the No. 3 line.
The doubles point came down to the No. 1 line where A&M's 16th-ranked Pierson and Rutuja Bhosale had their eight-match win streak snapped and slipped to 5-1 in dual matches only with a 6-3 setback against fourth-ranked Christine Maddox and Mayar Sherif Almed.
Pepperdine went on to take a 2-0 lead at the start of singles as 22nd-ranked Lahey defeated Bhosale, 6-3, 6-1, at the No. 2 line. Pierson then put the Aggies within 2-1 as she won the first seven games at No. 1 and went on to upset 14th-ranked Ahmed, 6-0, 7-5.
Gonzalez then evened the team score at 2-2 with a straight-set victory over Runglerdkriangkrai at the No. 5 line. Gonzalez jumped out to a 5-1 first-set lead and went on to win, 6-3. It was Runglerdkriangkrai who held a 4-2 second-set lead before Gonzalez reeled off four consecutive games to complete the 6-3, 6-4 victory.
The Waves took the lead for good at 3-2 after 72nd-ranked Gulbe won three consecutive games to close out a 6-0, 7-5 victory over Bokhua at No. 3.
Milovanovic then clinched the victory for Pepperdine with a straight-set victory over Olivares at No. 4. After overcoming a 5-3 deficit to take the first set, 7-5, Milovanovic carried the momentum into the second set and defeated Olivares, 6-3. It was Olivares' first loss in a dual match, having opened the spring season 5-0.
Paalma and Maddox had split sets at No. 6 when Milovanovic secured the team victory for the Waves. Paalma took the first set, 6-4, and Maddox had pulled away for a 6-3 win in the second set when play was stopped.
A&M drops to 0-6 in the all-time series against Pepperdine, which also is the Aggies' all-time record against Duke heading into Saturday's consolation match.
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
#3 Pepperdine 4, #15 Texas A&M 2
Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center (Yale University)
New Haven, Connecticut
ITA National Team Indoor Championship
First Round
Singles
1. #71 Rachel Pierson (A&M) def. #14 Mayar Sherif Ahmed (PEPP), 6-0, 7-5
2. #22 Ashley Lahey (PEPP) def. Rutuja Bhosale (A&M), 6-3, 6-1
3. #72 Laura Gulbe (PEPP) def. Tina Bokhua (A&M), 6-0, 7-5
4. Dzina Milovanovic (PEPP) def. Macarena Olivares (A&M), 7-5, 6-3
5. Dominica Gonzalez (A&M) def. Apichaya Runglerdkriangkrai (PEPP), 6-3, 6-4
6. Christine Maddox (PEPP) vs. Eva Paalma (A&M), 4-6, 6-3 unfinished
Doubles
1. #4 Maddox/Ahmed (PEPP) def. #16 Bhosale/Pierson (A&M), 6-3
2. Lahey/Runglerdkriangkrai (PEPP) def. Gonzalez/Paalma (A&M), 6-2
3. Bokhua/Olivares (A&M) def. Gulbe/Milovanovic (PEPP), 6-3
Match Notes:
Pepperdine 3-1; National ranking #3
Texas A&M 5-2; National ranking #15
Order of finish: Doubles (2, 3, 1); Singles (2, 1, 5, 3, 4)
Pronunciations
Rutuja Bhosale rue-too-jah BO-slay
Tina Bokhua BO-kwah
Saska Gavrilovska SAUSH-ka gav-ril-ohv-ska
Stefania Hristov steff-on-ya RIS-tov
Eva Paalma A-va palma
Texas A&M (5-2) will face No. 10 Duke in the consolation bracket at the Tennis & Fitness Center of Rocky Hill, in Rocky Hill, Connecticut, on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. (ET). The Waves improve to 3-1 and will face Georgia in the quarterfinals of the main draw.
"It was a well fought match from the Aggies," A&M head coach Mark Weaver said. "Pepperdine has an excellent team and will definitely be in contention for a national title in my opinion. I felt that the doubles point was a key. One or two points here and there and maybe we get the point. I give Pepperdine credit for their aggressive style of play which paid dividends in the indoor setting. The singles was pretty neck and neck and was competed pretty evenly all the way through. We were a little unfortunate at No. 4 singles having had set points at both 5-3 and 5-4. Overall, I feel that Pepperdine just came up with more of the bigger points than we did."
Texas A&M dropped the doubles point for only the second time this season en route to its second consecutive loss. Ashely Lahey and Apichaya Runglerdkriangkrai won four consecutive games to close out a 6-2 victory over A&M's Eva Paalma and Domenica Gonzalez at the No. 2 line, but the Aggie duo of Tina Bokhua and Macarena Olivares pulled away for a 6-3 win over Laura Gulbe and Dzina Milovanovic at the No. 3 line.
The doubles point came down to the No. 1 line where A&M's 16th-ranked Pierson and Rutuja Bhosale had their eight-match win streak snapped and slipped to 5-1 in dual matches only with a 6-3 setback against fourth-ranked Christine Maddox and Mayar Sherif Almed.
Pepperdine went on to take a 2-0 lead at the start of singles as 22nd-ranked Lahey defeated Bhosale, 6-3, 6-1, at the No. 2 line. Pierson then put the Aggies within 2-1 as she won the first seven games at No. 1 and went on to upset 14th-ranked Ahmed, 6-0, 7-5.
Gonzalez then evened the team score at 2-2 with a straight-set victory over Runglerdkriangkrai at the No. 5 line. Gonzalez jumped out to a 5-1 first-set lead and went on to win, 6-3. It was Runglerdkriangkrai who held a 4-2 second-set lead before Gonzalez reeled off four consecutive games to complete the 6-3, 6-4 victory.
The Waves took the lead for good at 3-2 after 72nd-ranked Gulbe won three consecutive games to close out a 6-0, 7-5 victory over Bokhua at No. 3.
Milovanovic then clinched the victory for Pepperdine with a straight-set victory over Olivares at No. 4. After overcoming a 5-3 deficit to take the first set, 7-5, Milovanovic carried the momentum into the second set and defeated Olivares, 6-3. It was Olivares' first loss in a dual match, having opened the spring season 5-0.
Paalma and Maddox had split sets at No. 6 when Milovanovic secured the team victory for the Waves. Paalma took the first set, 6-4, and Maddox had pulled away for a 6-3 win in the second set when play was stopped.
A&M drops to 0-6 in the all-time series against Pepperdine, which also is the Aggies' all-time record against Duke heading into Saturday's consolation match.
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
#3 Pepperdine 4, #15 Texas A&M 2
Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center (Yale University)
New Haven, Connecticut
ITA National Team Indoor Championship
First Round
Singles
1. #71 Rachel Pierson (A&M) def. #14 Mayar Sherif Ahmed (PEPP), 6-0, 7-5
2. #22 Ashley Lahey (PEPP) def. Rutuja Bhosale (A&M), 6-3, 6-1
3. #72 Laura Gulbe (PEPP) def. Tina Bokhua (A&M), 6-0, 7-5
4. Dzina Milovanovic (PEPP) def. Macarena Olivares (A&M), 7-5, 6-3
5. Dominica Gonzalez (A&M) def. Apichaya Runglerdkriangkrai (PEPP), 6-3, 6-4
6. Christine Maddox (PEPP) vs. Eva Paalma (A&M), 4-6, 6-3 unfinished
Doubles
1. #4 Maddox/Ahmed (PEPP) def. #16 Bhosale/Pierson (A&M), 6-3
2. Lahey/Runglerdkriangkrai (PEPP) def. Gonzalez/Paalma (A&M), 6-2
3. Bokhua/Olivares (A&M) def. Gulbe/Milovanovic (PEPP), 6-3
Match Notes:
Pepperdine 3-1; National ranking #3
Texas A&M 5-2; National ranking #15
Order of finish: Doubles (2, 3, 1); Singles (2, 1, 5, 3, 4)
Pronunciations
Rutuja Bhosale rue-too-jah BO-slay
Tina Bokhua BO-kwah
Saska Gavrilovska SAUSH-ka gav-ril-ohv-ska
Stefania Hristov steff-on-ya RIS-tov
Eva Paalma A-va palma
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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