No. 2 Seed Aggies Host Opening Two Rounds of NCAA Tournament

Friday, May 5

Bryan-College Station

1:00 PM

Texas A&M

Quinnipiac

May 04, 2023 | Women's Tennis

By: Sam Thornton, Athletics Communications

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The No. 2 seed Texas A&M women's tennis team is set to host SMU, Baylor and Quinnipiac for the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament which will be played May 5-6 at the Mitchell Tennis Center.

"We're very excited to be playing at home," head coach Mark Weaver said. "Coach [Jordan] Szabo and I work hard to create a challenging out-of-conference schedule to prepare us for the difficult SEC slate, in order for us to secure a top-eight seed."

The Aggies enter the tournament following another historic regular season. The team secured back-to-back SEC regular season titles, once again running the table to achieve a perfect record (13-0). A&M also reached its third straight conference tournament final, coming up just short in a battle with Georgia.

"I think playing as a team has really helped us this year," fifth-year graduate Jayci Goldsmith said. "We need to continue to put the work in every day leading up to the tournament, but we feel great heading in. Also, having the opportunity to play in front of the 12th Man hopefully three more times this semester will really give us a boost."

The Maroon & White picked up a conference-leading eight postseason awards, headlined by Mary Stoiana being named the SEC Player of the Year and an automatic qualifier for the All-SEC First Team. Coach Weaver also received his second consecutive SEC Coach of the Year award, while Carson Branstine joined Stoiana on the All-SEC First Team. Goldsmith, Salma Ewing and Mia Kupres were named to the All-SEC Second Team, and Kupres was also named to the SEC All-Freshman Team.

"This year I've become a lot more confident," Stoiana said. "I feel like last year set me up with a great foundation to grow from, and this year I have tried to develop and be more aggressive with the way I play which has really helped."

WEEKEND SCHEDULE

1st round – Friday – May 5 – SMU vs. Baylor – 10 a.m.
1st round – Friday – May 5 – Texas A&M vs. Quinnipiac – 1 p.m.
2nd round – Saturday – May 6 – Winners of opening matches – 1 p.m.

TICKETS
Fans can purchase tickets beforehand through the 12thMan Foundation, or at the main entrance of the Mitchell Tennis Center.

STREAMING & STATS
The Opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament can be followed through Cracked Racquets cross court coverage, where matches will be streamed with commentary throughout the weekend. The action can be followed through the links for both Friday and Saturday.

Fans can also follow the action through 12thman.com's live stats page.

MATCH STATS

Mary Stoiana leads the team with 21 dual match singles wins.
Stoiana leads the Aggies in singles winning percentage .913 (Min. 10 dual matches played).
In singles, court 3 holds the highest winning percentage at .913.
Jayci Goldsmith/Salma Ewing lead the Maroon & White with 21 dual match doubles wins.
In doubles, court 2 holds the highest winning percentage at .870.
The Aggies boast a .900 winning percentage versus ranked opponents this season.
The Maroon & White boast a 20-3 record in ranked doubles matches.

NOTABLE STREAKS

The Aggies held a 31-match winning streak in the SEC, following their undefeated conference schedule last season, coming to an end in the SEC Tournament.
Salma Ewing is on a six-match winning streak, which leads the team.

TEAM NOTES

A&M has only allowed 26 points to its opposition all season when the Aggies win the match.
The Maroon & White have lost only three matches on courts 1 and 3 this season.
The Aggies have won 20 ranked matches this season, 10 of those have been the top 25.
A&M has lost only five doubles points through 29 dual matches.
The Maroon & White have swept 11 opponents this season.
Jayci Goldsmith has broken the program record for all-time doubles wins with 120.
The Aggies have won back-to-back outright SEC regular season titles.
A&M secured the No. 2 Seed in the NCAA Tournament, the highest in program history.
The Maroon & White reached their 23rd-straight, 28th total, NCAA Tournament appearance.

ITA RANKINGS

The team has remained ranked No. 2 in the nation since February 28.
Ranked in singles: No. 2 Mary Stoiana, No. 49 Carson Branstine, No. 58 Salma Ewing, No. 68 Mia Kupres, No. 108 Jayci Goldsmith and No. 119 Gianna Pielet.
Ranked in doubles: No. 2 Stoiana/Branstine, No. 22 Goldsmith/Ewing, No. 35 Stoiana/Kupres and No. 57 Stoiana/Goldsmith.

AWARDS

Mary Stoiana was named SEC Player of the Year, the first player to win the award In program history.
Mark Weaver won his second consecutive SEC Coach of the Year.
Stoiana and Carson Branstine were named to the All-SEC First Team.
Salma Ewing, Jayci Goldsmith and Mia Kupres were awarded All-SEC Second Team honors.
Kupres was also added to the SEC All-Freshman Team.
Goldsmith & Ewing were named to the SEC All-Tournament team.
Stoiana has been awarded SEC Player of the Week honors seven times this season: Feb. 1, March 1, March 8, March 29, April 5, April 12 and April 18.
Kupres was awarded SEC Freshman of the Week honors five times this season: Feb. 15, March 1, March 15, March 22 and April 5.
Goldsmith was named to the SEC Community Service Team, April 13.

12TH MAN REWARDS
12th Man Rewards is the free program that appreciates fans for standing with the 12th Man and attending Texas A&M Athletics events in support of creating a homefield advantage for our student-athletes and coaches.

The more events you attend, your points will increase. Those points can be redeemed via the online Giveaway Store for a variety of items. Register today within the 12th Man Mobile app to earn 20 points at the match.

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.