No. 10 Women’s Tennis Overshadows Drake, Advances to NCAA Second Round

Friday, May 7

Evanston, Ill.

12:00 PM

Texas A&M

Drake

Photo by: Sydney Morriss/Texas A&M Athletics

May 07, 2021 | Women's Tennis

Box Score

By: Nick Whitley, Texas A&M Athletics Communications

EVANSTON, Ill. – No. 10 Texas A&M women's tennis opened the 2021 NCAA Women's Tennis Championships with an assertive 4-0 first-round win over the Drake Bulldogs on Friday at the Vandy Christie Tennis Center.

The Aggies improve to 20-7 overall this season and started the 2021 NCAA Tournament with a first round win for the ninth consecutive time. A&M received an at-large berth in the tournament representing the Southeastern Conference and is the No. 10 overall seed. In defeat, the Bulldogs fall to 11-9 and record a first round exit in this year's tournament. Drake earned an automatic bid as the Missouri Valley Conference Champion.

A&M opened the day in Evanston with doubles play, showing dominance towards the bottom of the lineup. The Maroon & White duo of Katya Townsend and Riley McQuaid got things started on court three, as they blanked the Bulldog pairing of Darinka Stepan and Ines Stephani in a 6-0 match. Over on court two, Renee McBryde and Dorthea Faa-Hviding clinched the Aggies first point of the day with a 6-2 win over Kelsey Neville and Megan Webb. No. 20-ranked Tatiana Makarova and Jayci Goldsmith were deadlocked with Elizaveta Petushkova and Maria Tatarnikova, but the match remained unfinished at the conclusion of doubles play.

Transitioning into singles action, the Maroon & White lurched ahead by winning five-of-six first sets and never looked back, clinching back-to-back-to-back wins on the top three courts. The No. 25-ranked Makarova logged a dominant 6-1, 6-2 win on court one to give A&M a 2-0 lead. On court two, Goldsmith roared out of the gates with a 6-1 first set win and followed it up with a 6-0 second set to put the Aggies up 3-0. Texas A&M called on Townsend to seal the victory on court three with a 6-3, 6-2 result. The remaining three matches featuring Faa-Hviding vs. Tatarnikova, McBryde vs. Stepan and McQuaid vs. Neville remained unfinished after the team match was clinched.

Individually, the Moscow, Russia, native Makarova climbs to 24-6 overall and has blitzed through the dual match season with a 16-4 ledger. The Coconut Creek, Florida, native Townsend recorded her second clinch victory of the year and improves to 19-9 in singles matches. As a team, the Aggies secured their 11^th 20-win season in program history, including the team's fourth 20-win campaign since joining the Southeastern Conference in 2012-13. The 2020-21 season marks head coach Mark Weaver's second 20-win crusade with the Maroon & White.

In the NCAA Tournament, the Aggies improve to 28-25 overall with nine consecutive wins in first round matches. Since joining the Southeastern Conference in 2012-13, A&M boasts a 16-7 record in the big dance with an 8-0 mark in the first round. As a head coach, Weaver has never lost in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, boasting a 5-0 record in first round matches since his hiring in the 2015-16 season.

UP NEXT
The No. 10 Texas A&M women's tennis team will return to action tomorrow, Saturday, May 8^th in Evanston, Illinois, as the Aggies take on the winner of the first-round matchup between No. 19 Northwestern and Xavier. First serve is 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.

POSTMATCH QUOTES
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
Head Coach Mark Weaver
On the team's first round performance…
"Overall, it was an excellent day for the Aggies. Getting our feet under us and getting used to the conditions, it was a great match to get prepared for the upcoming rounds. Whether our opponent is Northwestern or Xavier, our work today will prepare us to be successful in the second round tomorrow. We talked a lot about taking things one match at a time, and we have put ourselves in an excellent position to advance to the Sweet 16."

Junior Katya Townsend
On advancing to the second round…
"As a team today, I think we just did a good job of taking care of business and playing simple tennis. In the NCAA Tournament, every match means a lot. It means so much to be able to help this team advance to the next round. All of us are really close and we have a very tight-knit team. We have lofty goals, and we are always willing to play hard for each other."

TENNIS MATCH RESULTS
No. 10 Texas A&M 4, Drake 0
NCAA Women's Tennis Championships – First Round
Vandy Christie Tennis Center – Evanston, Illinois
Singles Competition
1. #25 Tatiana Makarova (TAMU) def. Elizaveta Petushkova (DRAKE) 6-1, 6-2
2. Jayci Goldsmith (TAMU) def. Daria Walczak (DRAKE) 6-1, 6-0
3. Katya Townsend (TAMU) def. Ines Stephani (DRAKE) 6-3, 6-2
4. Dorthea Faa-Hviding (TAMU) vs. Maria Tatarnikova (DRAKE) 6-1, 4-2, unfinished
5. Renee McBryde (TAMU) vs. Darinka Stepan (DRAKE) 6-7(2), 0-0, unfinished
6. Riley McQuaid (TAMU) vs. Kelsey Neville (DRAKE) 6-3, 5-1, unfinished

Doubles Competition
1. #20 Tatiana Makarova / Jayci Goldsmith (TAMU) vs. Elizaveta Petushkova / Maria Tatarnikova (DRAKE) 4-4, unfinished
2. Renee McBryde / Dorthea Faa-Hviding (TAMU) def. Kelsey Neville / Megan Webb (DRAKE) 6-2
3. Riley McQuaid / Katya Townsend (TAMU) def. Darinka Stepan / Ines Stephani (DRAKE) 6-0

Order of Finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (1,2,3)

POSTMATCH NOTES

Texas A&M improves to 20-7 overall this season and starts the 2021 NCAA Women's Tennis Championships with a First Round victory. The Aggies are currently ranked as the No. 10 team in the nation in the latest Oracle ITA Women's Team Rankings and was selected as the No. 10 overall seed in this year's tournament.
Drake concludes their 2021 dual match season with an 11-9 record and finish 0-1 in this year's tournament. The Bulldogs were the automatic qualifier representing the Missouri Valley Conference.
In the NCAA Tournament, the Aggies improve to 28-25 overall with nine consecutive wins in first round matches.
As a head coach, Mark Weaver has never lost in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, boasting a 5-0 record in first round matches since his hiring as head coach in the 2015-16 season.
The order of finish in Friday's match was as follows: Doubles (3,2); Singles (1,2,3)

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.