Friday, May 7
Evanston, Ill.
12:00 PM
Texas A&M
vs
Drake
Photo by: Sydney Morriss/Texas A&M Athletics
No. 10 Women’s Tennis Opens NCAA Tournament in Evanston
May 06, 2021 | Women's Tennis
EVANSTON, Ill. – The No. 10-seeded Texas A&M women's tennis team gets set to open the 2021 NCAA Women's Tennis Championships on Friday, as the Aggies take on the Drake Bulldogs as the regional's top-seed in the first round with first serve slated for 12 p.m. from the Vandy Christie Tennis Center. The winner of the match between A&M and Drake will face the winner of No. 21 Northwestern vs. Xavier on Saturday in the second round with first serve scheduled for 12 p.m.
Fans interested in following along with all of this weekend's matches from the campus of Northwestern University are invited to click here during the match for live stats and scoring. Live video from the outdoor facility will be unavailable, but if matches are moved to the nearby Combe Tennis Center, live video and scoring will be available at a link to be released if necessary, via the Texas A&M women's tennis social media channels. Be sure to keep up with the A&M women's tennis team this week on Facebook, Instagram, and on Twitter by following @AggieWTEN.
"Our group is excited and looking forward to the opportunity to compete in the NCAA Championships," head coach Mark Weaver said. "We have had some excellent practices this week, both indoors and outdoors, and we can't wait to get things started. Our goal right now is to focus on playing one match at a time and locking in on the things we need to do to be successful. Drake had an impressive finish to their season, as did Northwestern and Xavier. This weekend will be all about who steps up and fights hardest in the big moments."
A&M enters the first round of this year's NCAA Championships with an impressive 19-7 overall record, including 10 wins against teams in this year's championship field of 64. The Maroon & White battled through the Southeastern Conference regular season campaign with a 9-4 ledger and published a clean 6-0 record against SEC challengers in the friendly confines of the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center. Originally picked to finish sixth in the league in a preseason poll of SEC coaches, the Aggies greatly surpassed expectations and placed third in the conference table.
Texas A&M then made its way to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to take part in the 2021 SEC Women's Tennis Championships. The Aggies opened the week in Alabama with a rematch against the No. 21 Auburn Tigers, in which A&M came away with the 4-2 victory following Riley McQuaid's clutch performance to clinch the match on court six. In the semifinal round, the Maroon & White once again called on McQuaid to seal a 4-2 win over the South Carolina Gamecocks to advance to the program's first SEC Championship Final. Despite falling in the final round against No. 3 Georgia, A&M seniors Tatiana Makarova and McQuaid were each named to the All-SEC Tournament team following their impressive performances all week.
Statistically, the Aggies are headlined by the Moscow, Russia, native Makarova, who paces the team in singles victories with a 23-6 overall record and ranks as the No. 25 singles player in women's college tennis. She maintained the longest individual win streak this season as well, coming away with 13 consecutive singles wins. Renee McBryde finished second on the team with a 17-4 overall record, going 14-3 in dual matches. The Wollongong, Australia, native was affectionately nicknamed the "clinch win queen" after successfully recording the fourth and final point in eight matches this season including A&M's first seven SEC wins. In doubles play, Texas A&M is directed by the No. 20 ranked duo of Makarova and Jayci Goldsmith, who finished with a team-best 18-9 doubles record.
The Drake Bulldogs enter the tournament with an 11-8 overall record and represent the Missouri Valley Conference as the league champion and automatic qualifier. The team entered the conference tournament with an 8-8 record and fell behind with a 2-3 regular season conference mark before storming through the MVC Tournament.
The No. 19 Northwestern Wildcats will serve as the host team in the first and second rounds, earning an at-large bid out of the Big Ten Conference and boasting an 18-5 overall record. Northwestern went 17-4 against Big Ten opponents this season.
Xavier comes into the 2021 tournament with a 17-3 overall record and will represent the Big East Conference as the league's champion and automatic qualifier. The Musketeers went undefeated against Big East opponents in their abbreviated conference campaign.
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.
Fans interested in following along with all of this weekend's matches from the campus of Northwestern University are invited to click here during the match for live stats and scoring. Live video from the outdoor facility will be unavailable, but if matches are moved to the nearby Combe Tennis Center, live video and scoring will be available at a link to be released if necessary, via the Texas A&M women's tennis social media channels. Be sure to keep up with the A&M women's tennis team this week on Facebook, Instagram, and on Twitter by following @AggieWTEN.
"Our group is excited and looking forward to the opportunity to compete in the NCAA Championships," head coach Mark Weaver said. "We have had some excellent practices this week, both indoors and outdoors, and we can't wait to get things started. Our goal right now is to focus on playing one match at a time and locking in on the things we need to do to be successful. Drake had an impressive finish to their season, as did Northwestern and Xavier. This weekend will be all about who steps up and fights hardest in the big moments."
A&M enters the first round of this year's NCAA Championships with an impressive 19-7 overall record, including 10 wins against teams in this year's championship field of 64. The Maroon & White battled through the Southeastern Conference regular season campaign with a 9-4 ledger and published a clean 6-0 record against SEC challengers in the friendly confines of the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center. Originally picked to finish sixth in the league in a preseason poll of SEC coaches, the Aggies greatly surpassed expectations and placed third in the conference table.
Texas A&M then made its way to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to take part in the 2021 SEC Women's Tennis Championships. The Aggies opened the week in Alabama with a rematch against the No. 21 Auburn Tigers, in which A&M came away with the 4-2 victory following Riley McQuaid's clutch performance to clinch the match on court six. In the semifinal round, the Maroon & White once again called on McQuaid to seal a 4-2 win over the South Carolina Gamecocks to advance to the program's first SEC Championship Final. Despite falling in the final round against No. 3 Georgia, A&M seniors Tatiana Makarova and McQuaid were each named to the All-SEC Tournament team following their impressive performances all week.
Statistically, the Aggies are headlined by the Moscow, Russia, native Makarova, who paces the team in singles victories with a 23-6 overall record and ranks as the No. 25 singles player in women's college tennis. She maintained the longest individual win streak this season as well, coming away with 13 consecutive singles wins. Renee McBryde finished second on the team with a 17-4 overall record, going 14-3 in dual matches. The Wollongong, Australia, native was affectionately nicknamed the "clinch win queen" after successfully recording the fourth and final point in eight matches this season including A&M's first seven SEC wins. In doubles play, Texas A&M is directed by the No. 20 ranked duo of Makarova and Jayci Goldsmith, who finished with a team-best 18-9 doubles record.
The Drake Bulldogs enter the tournament with an 11-8 overall record and represent the Missouri Valley Conference as the league champion and automatic qualifier. The team entered the conference tournament with an 8-8 record and fell behind with a 2-3 regular season conference mark before storming through the MVC Tournament.
The No. 19 Northwestern Wildcats will serve as the host team in the first and second rounds, earning an at-large bid out of the Big Ten Conference and boasting an 18-5 overall record. Northwestern went 17-4 against Big Ten opponents this season.
Xavier comes into the 2021 tournament with a 17-3 overall record and will represent the Big East Conference as the league's champion and automatic qualifier. The Musketeers went undefeated against Big East opponents in their abbreviated conference campaign.
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
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
Georgia Postgame: Mark Weaver, Mary Stoiana, Mia Kupres
Sunday, May 18
Michigan Postgame: Mark Weaver, Nicole Khirin, Lexington Reed
Saturday, May 17
NCAA Team Championship Preview: Daria Smetannikov
Monday, May 12
NCAA Team Championship Preview: Mia Kupres
Monday, May 12
