No. 13 Aggies Upset No. 4 North Carolina to Advance to Third-Straight NCAA Elite 8

Friday, May 10

Chapel Hill, N.C.

5:00 PM

Texas A&M

North Carolina

May 11, 2024 | Women's Tennis

Box Score

By: Cory Richardson, Athletics Communications

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The No. 13 Texas A&M women's tennis team punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament Elite 8 for the third-consecutive season after upsetting the defending National Champions, No. 4 North Carolina, Friday at the Chewning Tennis Center, 4-1.

Texas A&M (25-7) snapped the Tar Heels (24-4) 94-match home win-streak, becoming the first team to win a road match on North Carolina's home courts in six years.

The Aggies started strong, securing the doubles point in a down-to-the-wire finish. North Carolina struck first on court 2, but Nicole Khirin/Jeanette Mireles responded moments later with a huge upset versus No. 30 Abby Forbes/Reilly Tran on court 3 (6-4) to put the Maroon & White in position to take the lead.

Over on court 1, No. 7 Mary Stoiana/Mia Kupres were locked into a tight battle with No. 6 Fiona Crawley/Carson Tanguilig, which came down to a tiebreaker. With the duos point on the line, Stoiana/Kupres stepped up to deliver a 7-6(4) victory, putting A&M up 1-0.

The Tar Heels answered back in singles, claiming a point on court 6, but No. 88 Carson Branstine responded with a point of her own after a thrilling comeback versus No. 6 Crawley on court 2 (2-6, 6-0, 6-2) to grab a 2-1 lead.

Next to strike for the Maroon & White was No. 26 Khirin, who bested No. 52 Tanguilig on court 3 (6-1, 5-7, 6-2) to put the Aggies one point away from victory.

On court 1, after claiming her first set 6-4, No. 1 Stoiana was looking to end the match, but No. 22 Elizabeth Scotty battled hard in the second set to force a tiebreaker. With a trip to the Elite 8 in her sights, Stoiana dealt the match clinching blow in dramatic fashion, outlasting Scotty in the breaker, 9-7, to claim her 10^th-straight singles victory and advance the Aggies to the quarterfinals.

COACH'S QUOTES
Head coach Mark Weaver on the team's historic victory …
"That is one of the biggest wins, if not the biggest, in Texas A&M history. To come in and beat the defending National Champions on their home courts, who had won 94-consecutive matches [at home] is a truly remarkable achievement for our program. So proud of our group to have now made our third-consecutive Elite 8 appearance."

Up Next
The Aggies will take on the winner of No. 5 Virginia and Vanderbilt in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament held in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

Match Results
Singles Results
(TAMU) No. 1 Mary Stoiana Def. (UNC) No. 22 Elizabeth Scotty (6-4, 7-6(7))
(TAMU) No. 88 Carson Branstine Def. (UNC) No. 6 Fiona Crawley (2-6, 6-0, 6-2)
(TAMU) No. 26 Nicole Khirin Def. (UNC) No. 52 Carson Tanguilig (6-1, 5-7, 6-2)
(TAMU) No. 45 Mia Kupres - (UNC) No. 58 Reilly Tran (7-5, 3-6, 1-3) unfinished
(TAMU) Lucciana Perez - (UNC) No. 31 Anika Yarlagadda (6-7(5), 6-3, 2-1) unfinished
(UNC) No. 77 Thea Rabman Def. (TAMU) Jeanette Mireles (6-3, 6-1)

Double Results
(TAMU) No. 7 Mary Stoiana/Mia Kupres Def. (UNC) No. 6 Fiona Crawley/Carson Tanguilig (7-6(4))
(UNC) No. 24 Elizabeth Scotty/Anika Yarlagadda Def. (TAMU) Carson Branstine/Lucciana Perez (6-4)
(TAMU) Nicole Khirin/Jeanette Mireles Def. (UNC) No. 30 Abby Forbes/Reilly Tran (6-4)

FOLLOW THE AGGIES
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