No. 5 Women's Tennis Storms Past LSU on the Road

Friday, April 8

Baton Rouge, La.

12:00 PM

Texas A&M

LSU

COLLEGE STATION, TX - 20220403 - Texas A&M Aggies Women's Tennis vs. Alabama Crimson Tide

Photo by: Kate Luffman/Texas A&M Athletics

Apr 08, 2022 | Women's Tennis

Box Score

By: Nick Whitley, Texas A&M Athletics Communications

BATON ROUGE, La. – No. 5 Texas A&M women's tennis faced blustery conditions Friday afternoon, but ultimately came away with an impressive 7-0 victory over the LSU Tigers at the LSU Tennis Complex. The Aggies were victorious for the 16th consecutive time and continue to stand atop the Southeastern Conference standings following their 11th-straight league win.

The Aggies' historic season continued Friday afternoon, as the Maroon & White surged to 25-1 for the first time in program history and remain perfect in the SEC with an 11-0 record. A&M's sweep of the Tigers marked the team's third complete-match shutout in the past four matches and its 11th sweep of the 2022 campaign. LSU drops to 4-12 overall this season and holds a 3-8 mark in league play.

The Maroon & White got things started with a strong showing in the doubles competition, as the Aggies took the matches on the bottom two courts to seal an early 1-0 lead. The No. 45 tandem in college tennis logged their fourth straight win, with Carson Branstine and Mary Stoiana teaming up for a 6-2 win over Rania Azziz and Safiya Carrington. Renee McBryde and Gianna Pielet sealed the doubles point on court three with a 6-3 finish over Nina Geissler and Mia Rabinowitz. The match on court one featuring second-ranked Jayci Goldsmith and Tatiana Makarova against Ena Babic and Taylor Bridges was deadlocked at 5-all, but play was suspended after the doubles point was clinched.

A&M took its fast start in doubles play and translated it into five-of-six first set victories through the early going in the singles competition. No. 63 Stoiana was the first to finish, dismantling No. 125 Babic in a 6-0, 6-1 masterpiece. No. 124 Goldsmith toppled Bridges in straight sets on court four to make it a 3-0 Aggie lead. Makarova, the 16th-ranked player in collegiate tennis, took matters into her own hands to clinch A&M's 25th victory of the season. The graduate recorded a solid 6-2, 6-2 victory over Geissler on court two to lock in the win. The Aggies went on to add a trio of insurance points on the remaining courts to finalize the 7-0 team showing. Katya Townsend defeated Azziz in a pair of grueling sets while Pielet and No. 21 Branstine posted three-set triumphs.

On an individual level, Makarova continues her climb in the Texas A&M record book for all-time singles victories in Aggieland. The veteran sits three wins shy of joining the century club and boasts a 97-34 career record, good enough for a .740 winning percentage. Stoiana remains the singles leader in Aggieland this season, boasting a remarkable 27-3 record with an outstanding 12-2 mark against nationally-ranked singles opponents.

UP NEXT
No. 5 Texas A&M women's tennis takes a weeklong hiatus from play before returning to action on the road against the Arkansas Razorbacks on Friday, April 15. First serve at the Billingsley Tennis Center is slated for 5 p.m. (CT).

POSTMATCH QUOTES
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
Head Coach Mark Weaver
On dealing with the challenging wind conditions…
"It was truly a very rough day out there from a weather perspective. It was nearly the toughest wind conditions I have seen in quite some time. To come in and deal with things the way we did was very impressive. It was quite a solid performance by our team overall. It was not always the highest quality tennis through no fault of our own, but we dealt with the wind very well. Our team kept its composure and we were able to come away with a very solid win today."

Graduate Tatiana Makarova
On responding to the difficult weather to get a win…
"The conditions were really tough and the wind was absolutely crazy since it was blowing cross-court. Jayci and I play a pretty aggressive style of doubles, so the wind definitely played a role in equalizing the competition on our court. Once we got into singles play, I was able to hit through the ball a bit better and find other ways to remain a tough competitor in my match. Overall I am very proud of the team and the way we performed today."

TENNIS MATCH RESULTS
#5 Texas A&M 7, LSU 0
LSU Tennis Complex – Baton Rouge, Louisiana
SINGLES
1. #21 Carson Branstine (TAMU) vs. #81 Safiya Carrington (LSU) 7-6(5), 3-6, 1-0(6)
2. #16 Tatiana Makarova (TAMU) vs. Nina Geissler (LSU) 6-2, 6-2
3. #63 Mary Stoiana (TAMU) vs. #125 Ena Babic (LSU) 6-0, 6-1
4. #124 Jayci Goldsmith (TAMU) def. Taylor Bridges (LSU) 6-3, 6-1
5. Gianna Pielet (TAMU) vs. Mia Rabinowitz (LSU) 5-7, 6-0, 6-2
6. Katya Townsend (TAMU) def. Rania Azziz (LSU) 7-6(5), 7-6(3)

DOUBLES
1. #2 Jayci Goldsmith / Tatiana Makarova (TAMU) vs. Ena Babic / Taylor Bridges (LSU) 5-5, unfinished
2. #45 Carson Branstine / Mary Stoiana (TAMU) def. Rania Azziz / Safiya Carrington (LSU) 6-2
3. Renee McBryde / Gianna Pielet (TAMU) def. Nina Geissler / Mia Rabinowitz (LSU) 6-3

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

POSTMATCH NOTES

Texas A&M climbs to 25-1 overall with an unblemished 11-0 mark in Southeastern Conference play for the first time in program history.
The Aggies hold the No. 5 ranking in both the Intercollegiate Tennis Association and United States Tennis Association polls.
LSU drops to 4-12 overall in the 2022 season with a 3-8 league record. The Tigers hold the No. 65 ranking per the ITA.
Texas A&M's dominance over LSU continued Friday, as the Aggies extend their lead to 32-13 in the all-time series.
Since becoming Texas A&M's head coach prior to the 2015-16 campaign, Mark Weaver has run up a 135-56 career record.

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.