No. 11 Women’s Tennis Powers Past Mississippi State

Friday, March 11

Starkville, Miss.

3:00 PM

Texas A&M

Mississippi State

COLLEGE STATION, TX - 20220206 - Texas A&M Aggies Women's Tennis vs. SMU Mustangs

Photo by: Sydney Morriss/Texas A&M Athletics

Mar 11, 2022 | Women's Tennis

Box Score

By: Nick Whitley, Texas A&M Athletics Communications

STARKVILLE, Miss. – No. 11 Texas A&M women's tennis extended its Southeastern Conference-leading win streak to eight consecutive matches Friday afternoon, as the Aggies triumphed over the Mississippi State Bulldogs in a 7-0 result at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.

Following the win, the Aggies rise to a program-record 17-1 overall mark on the season with a perfect 3-0 start to the SEC slate. The Bulldogs drop to 8-6 overall in 2022 with an 0-3 record against league opponents. A&M is the winningest team in the state of Texas, the SEC and ITA Division I Women's Team Rankings with 17 victories.

As usual, Friday's match began in the doubles competition, with Texas A&M sealing the opening point following a pair of victories on courts two and three. Jeanette Mireles and Gianna Pielet opened things up with an unblemished 6-0 demolition of Magda Adaloglou and Alexandra Mikhailuk on court three. A&M locked in the early 1-0 edge after an equally impressive 6-1 victory by No. 27 Carson Branstine and Mary Stoiana over Emmanouela Antonaki and Marta Falceto. The match featuring No. 3 Jayci Goldsmith and Tatiana Makarova against Chloe Cirotte and Tamara Racine remained unfinished after the doubles point was clinched.

The match transitioned to singles play, where the Aggies early success translated to five-of-six first set victories. No. 37 Makarova breezed by No. 116 Racine in a 6-1, 6-0 masterclass effort to extend the Aggie lead. Pielet saw continued singles success in a 6-3, 6-2 demolition of Alessia Tagliente, bringing A&M to the precipice of victory for the seventeenth time this season. The Aggies sealed the match on court one, as No. 41 Branstine cruised past No. 94 Antonaki in a 6-3, 6-2 result. Mireles booked a straight set win over Falceto, Goldsmith won in three against Mikhailuk and Stoiana finalized the sweep in a straight-set triumph over Cirotte.

Makarova recorded the 89th singles victory of her storied career Friday evening, seeing her move into sole possession of 10th place in the A&M record book for career singles wins. Stoiana continues to lead the Aggies in overall singles victories, boasting a 19-3 overall mark this season including a 7-2 record against nationally-ranked opposition. Branstine notched her second clinch victory this year in her straight set win over Antonaki, with her previous deciding point coming against Houston in her first collegiate match.

UP NEXT
No. 11 Texas A&M women's tennis continues its weekend road trip through the Magnolia State, as the Aggies head to Oxford, Miss. to take on the Ole Miss Rebels Sunday afternoon. First serve from the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center is scheduled for 1 p.m. (CT).

POSTMATCH QUOTES
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
Head Coach Mark Weaver
On Friday's win and looking ahead to Ole Miss…
"These SEC road matches never come easy, so being able to win a 7-0 match on the road speaks to how well we are playing right now. We have put in a lot of work in practice recently and have done our best to prepare for all sorts of situations. We came on this Mississippi trip to do our best and prove a lot to both ourselves and tennis fans across the country. So, we are going to get back to practice in Oxford tomorrow and return to match play on Sunday."

Junior Carson Branstine
On clinching the team match against the Bulldogs…
"It felt great to clinch both the doubles point and the team match today. I feel like Mary and I played a really solid match together, and I was able to sustain that through singles. That was my first SEC singles win, so I am really excited about that. Being on the road is never easy for any team, but I am really proud of the team and how we performed today."

TENNIS MATCH RESULTS
#11 Texas A&M 7, Mississippi State 0
A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre – Starkville, Miss.
SINGLES
1. #41 Carson Branstine (TAMU) def. #94 Emmanouela Antonaki (MSST) 6-3, 6-2
2. #37 Tatiana Makarova (TAMU) def. #116 Tamara Racine (MSST) 6-1, 6-0
3. #80 Mary Stoiana (TAMU) def. Chloe Cirotte (MSST) 7-6(4), 6-4
4. Jayci Goldsmith (TAMU) def. Alexandra Mikhailuk (MSST) 4-6, 6-4, 1-0(3)
5. Gianna Pielet (TAMU) def. Alessia Tagliente (MSST) 6-3, 6-2
6. Jeanette Mireles (TAMU) def. Marta Falceto (MSST) 6-3, 6-3

DOUBLES
1. #3 Jayci Goldsmith / Tatiana Makarova (TAMU) vs. Chloe Cirotte / Tamara Racine (MSST) 2-4, unfinished
2. #27 Carson Branstine / Mary Stoiana (TAMU) def. Emmanouela Antonaki / Marta Falceto (MSST) 6-1
3. Jeanette Mireles / Gianna Pielet (TAMU) def. Magda Adaloglou / Alexandra Mikhailuk (MSST) 6-0

Order of Finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (2,5,1*,6,4,3)

POSTMATCH NOTES

Texas A&M improves to 17-1 overall in the 2022 season, a program record through 18 matches. The Aggies are 3-0 against Southeastern Conference foes.
A&M owns the longest active win streak in the SEC at eight-consecutive.
The Aggies hold the No. 11 ranking according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association and the No. 6 ranking per the United States Tennis Association.
Mississippi State drops to 8-6 overall and 0-3 in SEC action. The Bulldogs are ranked No. 64 by the ITA.
In the all-time series between Texas A&M and Mississippi State, the Aggies extend their lead to 11-1. The Bulldogs only win came in Starkville during the 2017 season.
Tatiana Makarova recorded the 89th singles victory of her storied career Friday evening, seeing her move into sole possession of 10th place in the A&M record book for career singles wins.
Mary Stoiana continues to lead the Aggies in overall singles victories, boasting a 19-3 overall mark this season.
Mark Weaver rises to 127-56 in his head coaching career, which began at Texas A&M during the 2015-16 academic year.

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.