Saturday, March 27
Bryan-College Station
12:00 PM
Texas A&M
vs
LSU
Photo by: Craig Bisacre
No. 20 Texas A&M Prepares for Ranked Clash with No. 12 LSU
Mar 26, 2021 | Women's Tennis
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – After its first ranked victory of the 2021 season, No. 20 Texas A&M women's tennis returns to Aggieland to face its second-straight ranked opponent, as the Maroon & White play host to the No. 12 LSU Tigers in a 12 p.m. first serve Saturday from the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center.
"We are excited to be back playing on our home courts," head coach Mark Weaver said. "We have unfortunately missed some key home SEC matches in recent weeks, and we will be looking forward to the opportunity to play a very good and highly ranked team in LSU."
In the latest Oracle ITA Women's Team Ranking released on Wednesday, Texas A&M climbed back among the ranks of the elite to the No. 20 spot nationally. In the singles ranking, senior Tatiana Makarova climbed to No. 52 overall, while also placing in the doubles ranking alongside Jayci Goldsmith (No. 62) and Jessica Anzo (No. 78). The Moscow, Russia, native Makarova has been ranked on 24 different occasions in her storied collegiate career.
A&M's most recent outing resulted in a decisive 4-1 victory over the then-No. 14 Vanderbilt Commodores on the road in Nashville, Tennessee. Singles dominance was the key to the win as the team bounced back from dropping the doubles point to claim four straight singles matches. Goldsmith snagged the team's first point of the day, with Katya Townsend and Makarova giving the Aggies a decisive 3-1 lead. Renee McBryde closed the match out and logged her team-high fourth clinch victory of the season.
Following the win against the Commodores, Mark Weaver became the second coach in Texas A&M program history to cross the 100-win mark and the fastest coach to reach that threshold. Weaver ranks second in all-time victories as a head coach behind A&M legend Bobby Kleinecke, who coached the Aggie women's tennis team from 1986 to 2011 and won 421 career dual matches. Weaver has guided the Maroon & White to four-straight NCAA Tournament appearances, winning at least one match in all four attempts and advancing to the Round of 16 on two occasions.
Coached by the tandem of Julia and Michael Sell, the LSU Tigers boast a 10-3 overall record and a 5-3 mark in Southeastern Conference play. Leaders for the Tigers include Oracle ITA ranked players No. 39 Taylor Bridges and No. 58 Paris Corley, along with Nina Geissler. Corley paces the team in singles wins with a 14-4 record, while Bridges and Geissler have each won 13 matches. The No. 77-ranked duo of Geissler and Eden Richardson holds a 4-9 record and serves as LSU's primary doubles team, while the pairing of Bridges and Corley leads the team with an 11-2 record.
This will be the 46th meeting between Texas A&M and LSU in women's tennis, with the series dating back to 1978. The Aggies maintain a dominant 29-16 advantage and have come away with victories in the two most recent matchups. Since joining the Southeastern Conference in the 2013 season, the Maroon & White have edged the Tigers by a 6-3 margin, winning each of the last three meetings in Aggieland.
FOLLOW THE AGGIES
Visit 12thman.com for more information on Texas A&M women's tennis. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M women's tennis team on Facebook, Instagram, and on Twitter by following @AggieWTEN.
"We are excited to be back playing on our home courts," head coach Mark Weaver said. "We have unfortunately missed some key home SEC matches in recent weeks, and we will be looking forward to the opportunity to play a very good and highly ranked team in LSU."
In the latest Oracle ITA Women's Team Ranking released on Wednesday, Texas A&M climbed back among the ranks of the elite to the No. 20 spot nationally. In the singles ranking, senior Tatiana Makarova climbed to No. 52 overall, while also placing in the doubles ranking alongside Jayci Goldsmith (No. 62) and Jessica Anzo (No. 78). The Moscow, Russia, native Makarova has been ranked on 24 different occasions in her storied collegiate career.
A&M's most recent outing resulted in a decisive 4-1 victory over the then-No. 14 Vanderbilt Commodores on the road in Nashville, Tennessee. Singles dominance was the key to the win as the team bounced back from dropping the doubles point to claim four straight singles matches. Goldsmith snagged the team's first point of the day, with Katya Townsend and Makarova giving the Aggies a decisive 3-1 lead. Renee McBryde closed the match out and logged her team-high fourth clinch victory of the season.
Following the win against the Commodores, Mark Weaver became the second coach in Texas A&M program history to cross the 100-win mark and the fastest coach to reach that threshold. Weaver ranks second in all-time victories as a head coach behind A&M legend Bobby Kleinecke, who coached the Aggie women's tennis team from 1986 to 2011 and won 421 career dual matches. Weaver has guided the Maroon & White to four-straight NCAA Tournament appearances, winning at least one match in all four attempts and advancing to the Round of 16 on two occasions.
Coached by the tandem of Julia and Michael Sell, the LSU Tigers boast a 10-3 overall record and a 5-3 mark in Southeastern Conference play. Leaders for the Tigers include Oracle ITA ranked players No. 39 Taylor Bridges and No. 58 Paris Corley, along with Nina Geissler. Corley paces the team in singles wins with a 14-4 record, while Bridges and Geissler have each won 13 matches. The No. 77-ranked duo of Geissler and Eden Richardson holds a 4-9 record and serves as LSU's primary doubles team, while the pairing of Bridges and Corley leads the team with an 11-2 record.
This will be the 46th meeting between Texas A&M and LSU in women's tennis, with the series dating back to 1978. The Aggies maintain a dominant 29-16 advantage and have come away with victories in the two most recent matchups. Since joining the Southeastern Conference in the 2013 season, the Maroon & White have edged the Tigers by a 6-3 margin, winning each of the last three meetings in Aggieland.
FOLLOW THE AGGIES
Visit 12thman.com for more information on Texas A&M women's tennis. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M women's tennis team on Facebook, Instagram, and on Twitter by following @AggieWTEN.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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