Makarova Guides No. 12 Aggies to Rout of Vanderbilt

Friday, March 18

Bryan-College Station

5:00 PM

Texas A&M

Vanderbilt

Photo by: Kate Luffman/Texas A&M Athletics

Mar 18, 2022 | Women's Tennis

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Nick Whitley, Texas A&M Athletics Communications

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Behind a pair of ranked wins in singles and doubles play from graduate Tatiana Makarova, the No. 12 Texas A&M women's tennis team crushed the Vanderbilt Commodores in a 6-1 affair Friday evening at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center.

With their victory, the Aggies rise to 19-1 overall and 5-0 in Southeastern Conference play. A&M has won 10 consecutive matches dating back to the ITA National Women's Team Indoor Championships and boasts both the best record and longest win streak in the SEC. Vanderbilt falls to 9-5 overall and 1-4 in SEC action.

Texas A&M continued its run of dominance in doubles play Friday evening, coasting to a pair of commanding wins at the No. 1 and No. 2 positions. To start things off, No. 3 Jayci Goldsmith and Tatiana Makarova cemented a ranked victory against No. 78 Yufei Long and Anna Ross, notching a 6-2 decision on the top line. In the No. 2 spot, 27th-ranked Carson Branstine and Mary Stoiana surrendered only one game en route to a 6-1 victory over Marcella Cruz and Anessa Lee, clinching the doubles point in the process. Jeanette Mireles and Gianna Pielet held a slim 4-3 edge against Holly Staff and Amy Stevens, but play was suspended after the Aggies took a 1-0 lead.

With the early lead in hand, A&M continued to apply pressure in the early portion of singles play by winning four-of-six first sets. No. 41 Carson Branstine completed her 6-3, 6-3 performance against No. 46 Anna Ross to put the Aggies ahead by a 2-0 margin. No. 80 Stoiana toppled Staff in straight sets, 6-1, 6-4, to take a 3-0 overall lead. A&M called upon No. 37 Makarova to seal the team match with a 6-4, 6-3 effort on court two against No. 64 Lee.

The Aggies added an insurance point on court four, as Goldsmith defeated Cruz in a steady 6-4, 6-4 result to lift A&M's lead to 5-0. Vanderbilt snagged its first point of the match on court five with Stevens besting Pielet in a 6-3, 7-5 match. In her first SEC dual match of the season, Katya Townsend earned a 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 win over Dasha Kourkina to complete the 6-1 team result.

Makarova is off to an 18-2 start in singles play with an astronomical 24-4 record in doubles competition this season. Her 14-match win streak in singles is the longest active run on the roster, with each of her last five victories coming against nationally-ranked opponents. Makarova is now tied for eighth all-time at A&M in career singles wins with 91 and owns sole possession of fourth in the record book for doubles with 99 wins. Branstine won her third consecutive match against a ranked singles opponent Friday evening and secured her third singles victory of SEC play.

UP NEXT
No. 12 Texas A&M women's tennis completes its weekend homestand Sunday, March 20, as the Aggies welcome the Kentucky Wildcats to the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center. First serve is slated for 11 a.m. (CT).

POSTMATCH QUOTES
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
Head Coach Mark Weaver
On his impressions of the team's success Friday…
"I was pleased with our team. We have set the tone for our matches in these doubles points. Our No. 1 and No. 2 doubles teams played extremely well tonight and even though our No. 3 team got out to a rocky start, they looked like they were getting back on track. Winning that doubles point sets the tone for our match. I believe that we have won every doubles point except one and that is truly quite impressive. Doubles can usually go either way, so the fact that we're 19-1 in doubles points this season is a testament to our team. I felt like we got out to a bit of a slow start in some of our singles matches but we were able to figure things out and secure a good win for our team tonight."

On the team's 10-match win streak…
"We have really been working hard and pushing the team in our practices. One of our mottos as a team is to get better each and every day and I think that's something we've done well with this year. We are playing with a chip on our shoulder that motivates us and fuels us to be the best we can be. At the end of the day, we have a lot of very good tennis players. That has translated to really great results."

Graduate Tatiana Makarova
On the team's goal Friday night…
"I think that the goal our coaches wanted to deliver to us before the match was to control what we could control. We knew that there were going to be some difficulties from the windy conditions and other things that we couldn't control. For us, it was all about focusing on ourselves and not worrying about what they (Vanderbilt) were doing. We had to play within ourselves and control our game. That is what led us to victory today."

On her five consecutive ranked wins…
"I am definitely building a lot of confidence right now. In the beginning of the season, I got off to a bit of a slow start. More recently, I have been adding to my win streak. No matter how good or bad I'm playing and no matter what style my opponent plays, I know that there are multiple ways to win a match. Choosing from a variety of game styles allows me to build my confidence and find ways to win for our team."

TENNIS MATCH RESULTS
#12 Texas A&M 6, Vanderbilt 1
George P. Mitchell Tennis Center – Bryan-College Station, Texas
SINGLES
1. #41 Carson Branstine (TAMU) def. #46 Anna Ross (VAN) 6-3, 6-3
2. #37 Tatiana Makarova (TAMU) def. #64 Anessa Lee (VAN) 6-4, 6-3
3. #80 Mary Stoiana (TAMU) def. Holly Staff (VAN) 6-1, 6-4
4. Jayci Goldsmith (TAMU) def. Marcella Cruz (VAN) 6-4, 6-4
5. Amy Stevens (VAN) def. Gianna Pielet (TAMU) 6-3, 7-5
6. Katya Townsend (TAMU) def. Dasha Kourkina (VAN) 4-6, 6-2, 6-3

DOUBLES
1. #3 Jayci Goldsmith / Tatiana Makarova (TAMU) def. #78 Yufei Long / Anna Ross (VAN) 6-2
2. #27 Carson Branstine / Mary Stoiana (TAMU) def. Marcella Cruz / Anessa Lee (VAN) 6-1
3. Jeanette Mireles / Gianna Pielet (TAMU) vs. Holly Staff / Amy Stevens (VAN) 4-3, unfinished

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

POSTMATCH NOTES

Texas A&M improves to 19-1 overall with a 5-0 record in SEC matches. The Aggies hold the No. 12 rank according to the ITA and are tied with Duke for No. 6 in the USTA poll.
Vanderbilt falls to 9-5 overall and 1-4 in the SEC.
Following Friday's win, the Aggies now trail Vanderbilt 12-6 in the all-time series and have won three of the last four contests with the Commodores.
Mark Weaver climbs to 129-56 in his collegiate head coaching career at Texas A&M, which began prior to the 2015-16 school year. Weaver is 77-21 over the last four seasons.

FOLLOW THE AGGIES
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