Saturday, April 19
Auburn, Ala.
3:00 PM
Texas A&M
4
at
3
Auburn
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
3,1,2
#1 Singles Match
12
DJ Bennett / 0 (4/-) [AUB]
66
14
#2 Singles Match
12
Angella Okutoyi / 0 (59/-) [AUB]
03
66
#3 Singles Match
12
Ava Hrastar / 0 (79/-) [AUB]
21
66
#4 Singles Match
123
Merna Refaat / 0 (57/-) [AUB]
602
366
#5 Singles Match
123
Ava Esposito / 0 [AUB]
633
366
#6 Singles Match
12
Alice Battesti / 0 [AUB]
66
13
Order of Finish:
2,6,3,1,4,5
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
Photo by: Zach Bland/Auburn Athletics
No. 1 Aggies Battle Back to Beat No. 6 Auburn Tigers in SEC Semifinal
Apr 19, 2025 | Women's Tennis
AUBURN – The No. 1 Texas A&M women's tennis team rallied back to defeat the No. 6 Auburn Tigers on their own turf, 4-3, at Yarbrough Tennis Center in Saturday's SEC Tournament semifinal action.
With the win, the Aggies face a known rival in No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs. The match is a repeat of the regular season SEC title match Texas A&M won last Sunday at Mitchell Tennis Center. The teams play Sunday at noon to decide the SEC Tournament champion.
The Aggies were fighting from behind most of the day after dropping a hard fought doubles point. Nicole Khirin/Lexington Reed topped Ava Esposito/Maria Garcia, 6-4 on court 3. But Auburn bounced back with No. 19 DJ Bennett/Ava Hrastar knocking off No. 35 Mary Stoiana/Lucciana Perez, 6-2. Minutes later, No. 53 Angella Okutoyi/Merna Refaat prevailed for Auburn in a donnybrook on court 2. They bested Mia Kupres/Daria Smetannikov, 7-6(5), giving the Tigers the 1-0 lead.
In singles action, No. 17 Khirin continued her dominance taking care of business quick with a 6-0, 6-3 victory over No. 59 Angella Okutoyi on court 2.
Auburn reclaimed the advantage when Alice Battesti dropped Reed 6-1, 6-3, on court 6 while the Tigers led on three of the other four courts.
No. 72 Kupres delivered an equalizer on court 3, carving up No. 79 Hrastar 6-2, 6-1, evening the match 2-2.
In a top five ITA singles rankings matchup on court 1, No. 4 Bennett earned a 6-1, 6-4 win over No. 2 Stoiana, to bring the Tigers one win away from an appearance in the SEC Championship.
The Aggies bounced back to win second sets on court 4 and 5 to build some confidence. It paid off with No. 51 Perez toppling No. 57 Refaat, 3-6, 6-0, 6-2, putting all eyes on court 5.
In a winner-take-all match, No. 102 Smetannikov rode her second-set momentum through the third, beating Esposito, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 to send the Aggies to the championship match.
Head Coach Mark Weaver
On the win…
"Another exciting match. We've had so many battles this season. So many 4-3 matches. It was a great match. It was one of those where you're playing a top 10 team at their place. We've already beaten them once at their place and then have to do it again in the SEC Tournament. It speaks volumes of our team."
Junior Mia Kupres
On the match…
"I'm really proud of the team win today. I think it was a great comeback victory. To bounce back from losing a really tough doubles point and then get down on a lot of singles courts, it took a lot of fight. The girls kind of crawled back and never stopped fighting. It just shows the grit that our team has. I'm really proud of how everyone competed today and super excited for the final tomorrow."
Match Results:
SINGLES
#4 DJ Bennett (AUB) def. #2 Mary Stoiana (TAMU) – 6-1, 6-4
#17 Nicole Khirin (TAMU) def. #59 Angella Okutoyi (AUB) – 6-0, 6-3
#72 Mia Kupres (TAMU) def. #79 Ava Hrastar (AUB) – 6-2, 6-1
#51 Lucciana Perez (TAMU) def. #57 Merna Refaat (AUB) – 3-6, 6-0, 6-2
#102 Daria Smetannikov (TAMU) def. Ava Esposito (AUB) – 3-6, 6-3, 6-3
Alice Battesti (AUB) def. Lexington Reed (TAMU) – 6-1, 6-3
Order of finish: (2,6,3,1,4,5)
DOUBLES
#19 DJ Bennett/Ava Hrastar (AUB) def. #35 Mary Stoiana/Lucciana Perez (TAMU) – 6-2
#53 Angella Okutoyi/Merna Refaat (AUB) def. Mia Kupres/Daria Smetannikov (TAMU) – 7-6 (7-5)
Nicole Khirin/Lexington Reed (TAMU) def. Ava Esposito/Maria Garcia (AUB) – 6-4
Order of finish: (3,1,2)
Up Next …
The Aggies battle the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs Sunday at noon. The winner claims the SEC Tournament championship.
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 X by following @AggieWTEN.
With the win, the Aggies face a known rival in No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs. The match is a repeat of the regular season SEC title match Texas A&M won last Sunday at Mitchell Tennis Center. The teams play Sunday at noon to decide the SEC Tournament champion.
The Aggies were fighting from behind most of the day after dropping a hard fought doubles point. Nicole Khirin/Lexington Reed topped Ava Esposito/Maria Garcia, 6-4 on court 3. But Auburn bounced back with No. 19 DJ Bennett/Ava Hrastar knocking off No. 35 Mary Stoiana/Lucciana Perez, 6-2. Minutes later, No. 53 Angella Okutoyi/Merna Refaat prevailed for Auburn in a donnybrook on court 2. They bested Mia Kupres/Daria Smetannikov, 7-6(5), giving the Tigers the 1-0 lead.
In singles action, No. 17 Khirin continued her dominance taking care of business quick with a 6-0, 6-3 victory over No. 59 Angella Okutoyi on court 2.
Auburn reclaimed the advantage when Alice Battesti dropped Reed 6-1, 6-3, on court 6 while the Tigers led on three of the other four courts.
No. 72 Kupres delivered an equalizer on court 3, carving up No. 79 Hrastar 6-2, 6-1, evening the match 2-2.
In a top five ITA singles rankings matchup on court 1, No. 4 Bennett earned a 6-1, 6-4 win over No. 2 Stoiana, to bring the Tigers one win away from an appearance in the SEC Championship.
The Aggies bounced back to win second sets on court 4 and 5 to build some confidence. It paid off with No. 51 Perez toppling No. 57 Refaat, 3-6, 6-0, 6-2, putting all eyes on court 5.
In a winner-take-all match, No. 102 Smetannikov rode her second-set momentum through the third, beating Esposito, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 to send the Aggies to the championship match.
Head Coach Mark Weaver
On the win…
"Another exciting match. We've had so many battles this season. So many 4-3 matches. It was a great match. It was one of those where you're playing a top 10 team at their place. We've already beaten them once at their place and then have to do it again in the SEC Tournament. It speaks volumes of our team."
Junior Mia Kupres
On the match…
"I'm really proud of the team win today. I think it was a great comeback victory. To bounce back from losing a really tough doubles point and then get down on a lot of singles courts, it took a lot of fight. The girls kind of crawled back and never stopped fighting. It just shows the grit that our team has. I'm really proud of how everyone competed today and super excited for the final tomorrow."
Match Results:
SINGLES
#4 DJ Bennett (AUB) def. #2 Mary Stoiana (TAMU) – 6-1, 6-4
#17 Nicole Khirin (TAMU) def. #59 Angella Okutoyi (AUB) – 6-0, 6-3
#72 Mia Kupres (TAMU) def. #79 Ava Hrastar (AUB) – 6-2, 6-1
#51 Lucciana Perez (TAMU) def. #57 Merna Refaat (AUB) – 3-6, 6-0, 6-2
#102 Daria Smetannikov (TAMU) def. Ava Esposito (AUB) – 3-6, 6-3, 6-3
Alice Battesti (AUB) def. Lexington Reed (TAMU) – 6-1, 6-3
Order of finish: (2,6,3,1,4,5)
DOUBLES
#19 DJ Bennett/Ava Hrastar (AUB) def. #35 Mary Stoiana/Lucciana Perez (TAMU) – 6-2
#53 Angella Okutoyi/Merna Refaat (AUB) def. Mia Kupres/Daria Smetannikov (TAMU) – 7-6 (7-5)
Nicole Khirin/Lexington Reed (TAMU) def. Ava Esposito/Maria Garcia (AUB) – 6-4
Order of finish: (3,1,2)
Up Next …
The Aggies battle the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs Sunday at noon. The winner claims the SEC Tournament championship.
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 X by following @AggieWTEN.
Georgia Postgame: Mark Weaver, Mary Stoiana, Mia Kupres
Sunday, May 18
Michigan Postgame: Mark Weaver, Nicole Khirin, Lexington Reed
Saturday, May 17
NCAA Team Championship Preview: Daria Smetannikov
Monday, May 12
NCAA Team Championship Preview: Mia Kupres
Monday, May 12
