Saturday, May 17
Waco, Texas
1:00 PM
Texas A&M
4
vs
1
Michigan
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
Photo by: Chris Swann/Texas A&M Athletics
Aggies Earn NCAA Title Shot
May 17, 2025 | Women's Tennis
WACO – The No. 2 Texas A&M women's tennis team withstood a worthy test to earn a spot in the NCAA Championship finals match. The Aggies beat No. 3 Michigan, 4-1, in Saturday's semifinal contest at Baylor's Hurd Tennis Center.
Texas A&M (30-3) faces No. 1 Georgia in Sunday's championship match. The contest is a rematch of last season's national title bout, which the Aggies claimed, 4-1, securing the program's first NCAA title. It marks the third NCAA final for Texas A&M which finished as runner-up in 2013.
No. 13 Nicole Khirin clinched the match with a 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 victory over No. 21 Piper Charney on court 2 just moments before a lightning delay went into effect at the facility.
The Aggies claimed a heartburn inducing doubles point. The Maroon & White dropped early service breaks on courts 1 and 3. Texas A&M broke back on court 1 to even the match at 2-2, but Khirin/Lucciana Perez fell behind 4-2 on court 3.
Michigan (27-5) regained its composure on the marquee court with No. 18 Lily Jones/Jessica Bernales dropping Mary Stoiana/Mia Kupres, 6-4. Court 2 alternated games until Texas A&M's Daria Smetannikov/Lexington Reed broke Michigan's service to go up 5-3. The Aggies prevailed over No. 45 Reese Miller/Julia Fliegner, 6-4, to even the doubles action.
Khirin/Perez stormed back, winning five of the next six games against Charney/Emily Startz-Lunde to win 7-5 and give Texas A&M the doubles point.
The momentum swung over to the Wolverines early in singles play with Michigan claiming four of the six first sets.
One of the Aggies to win the first set put up a bagel in the second as Reed topped Bernales on court 6 to put Texas A&M up 2-0.
Michigan got on the scoreboard with a victory on court 4. No. 68 Sartz-Lunde bested No. 51 Perez, 6-2, 6-4.
The Aggies closed out a pair of second-set tiebreakers in less than a minute. The first one put the Aggies one point away from the championship match with No. 67 Kupres topping No. 46 Jones on court 3, 6-4, 7-6(3). Meanwhile No. 109 Smetannikov won her tiebreaker to send her match to a third set.
Smetannikov, No. 1 Stoiana and Khirin, who all bounced back from dropping their first set, raced to close out the victory.
When Khirin clinched the match, the Aggies were up on the remaining courts. Stoiana was leading No. 6 Julia Fliegner on court 1, 4-6, 6-3, 5-1. Smetannikov had an advantage on Reese Miller on court 5, 3-6, 7-6(5), 2-1.
Junior Nicole Khirin
On how important it was to win the doubles point ...
"It was tough. We won the next game on my service game, and we just fought hard.
We knew it was the most important, so we kept fighting and it was all so hard. I think every teammate on this team was trying to push themselves as much as possible and we all wanted to go back to the finals. We knew how important each point was and I'm just really proud of my team for fighting."
Freshman Lexington Reed
On how she felt after winning the first singles point ...
"I was fighting in the first set, and it was close. I was down 5-4 and a lot of people were down, so I knew my match was important. Every match was really important, but to get that second point was obviously helping everyone to keep fighting through their matches and I think just I had to fight through that first set, and then, after that I had the confidence and I started playing much better in the second set and being more aggressive and serving better and playing my game."
#2 TEXAS A&M 4, #3 MICHIGAN 1
DOUBLES
#18 Lily Jones/Jessica Bernales (UM) def. Mia Kupres/Mary Stoiana (A&M) - 6-4
Lexington Reed/Daria Smetannikov (A&M) def. #45 Reese Miller/Julia Fleigner(UM) - 6-4
Nicole Khirin/Lucciana Perez (A&M) def. Piper Charney/Emily Sartz-Lunde (UM) - 7-5
Order of Finish: 1,2,3
SINGLES
#1 Mary Stoiana (A&M) vs. #6 Julia Fliegner (UM) – 4-6, 6-3. 5-1 - unfinished
#13 Nicole Khirin (A&M) def. #21 Piper Charney (UM) – 5-7, 6-3, 6-1
#67 Mia Kupres (A&M) def. #46 Lily Jones (UM) – 6-4, 7-6(3)
#68 Emily Sartz-Lunde (UM) def. #51 Lucciana Perez (A&M) – 6-2, 6-4
#109 Daria Smetannikov (A&M) vs. Reese Miller (UM) – 3-6, 7-6(5), 2-1 - unfinished
Lexington Reed (A&M) def. Jessica Bernales (UM) – 7-5, 6-0
Order of finish: 6,4,3,2
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.
Texas A&M (30-3) faces No. 1 Georgia in Sunday's championship match. The contest is a rematch of last season's national title bout, which the Aggies claimed, 4-1, securing the program's first NCAA title. It marks the third NCAA final for Texas A&M which finished as runner-up in 2013.
No. 13 Nicole Khirin clinched the match with a 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 victory over No. 21 Piper Charney on court 2 just moments before a lightning delay went into effect at the facility.
The Aggies claimed a heartburn inducing doubles point. The Maroon & White dropped early service breaks on courts 1 and 3. Texas A&M broke back on court 1 to even the match at 2-2, but Khirin/Lucciana Perez fell behind 4-2 on court 3.
Michigan (27-5) regained its composure on the marquee court with No. 18 Lily Jones/Jessica Bernales dropping Mary Stoiana/Mia Kupres, 6-4. Court 2 alternated games until Texas A&M's Daria Smetannikov/Lexington Reed broke Michigan's service to go up 5-3. The Aggies prevailed over No. 45 Reese Miller/Julia Fliegner, 6-4, to even the doubles action.
Khirin/Perez stormed back, winning five of the next six games against Charney/Emily Startz-Lunde to win 7-5 and give Texas A&M the doubles point.
The momentum swung over to the Wolverines early in singles play with Michigan claiming four of the six first sets.
One of the Aggies to win the first set put up a bagel in the second as Reed topped Bernales on court 6 to put Texas A&M up 2-0.
Michigan got on the scoreboard with a victory on court 4. No. 68 Sartz-Lunde bested No. 51 Perez, 6-2, 6-4.
The Aggies closed out a pair of second-set tiebreakers in less than a minute. The first one put the Aggies one point away from the championship match with No. 67 Kupres topping No. 46 Jones on court 3, 6-4, 7-6(3). Meanwhile No. 109 Smetannikov won her tiebreaker to send her match to a third set.
Smetannikov, No. 1 Stoiana and Khirin, who all bounced back from dropping their first set, raced to close out the victory.
When Khirin clinched the match, the Aggies were up on the remaining courts. Stoiana was leading No. 6 Julia Fliegner on court 1, 4-6, 6-3, 5-1. Smetannikov had an advantage on Reese Miller on court 5, 3-6, 7-6(5), 2-1.
Junior Nicole Khirin
On how important it was to win the doubles point ...
"It was tough. We won the next game on my service game, and we just fought hard.
We knew it was the most important, so we kept fighting and it was all so hard. I think every teammate on this team was trying to push themselves as much as possible and we all wanted to go back to the finals. We knew how important each point was and I'm just really proud of my team for fighting."
Freshman Lexington Reed
On how she felt after winning the first singles point ...
"I was fighting in the first set, and it was close. I was down 5-4 and a lot of people were down, so I knew my match was important. Every match was really important, but to get that second point was obviously helping everyone to keep fighting through their matches and I think just I had to fight through that first set, and then, after that I had the confidence and I started playing much better in the second set and being more aggressive and serving better and playing my game."
#2 TEXAS A&M 4, #3 MICHIGAN 1
DOUBLES
#18 Lily Jones/Jessica Bernales (UM) def. Mia Kupres/Mary Stoiana (A&M) - 6-4
Lexington Reed/Daria Smetannikov (A&M) def. #45 Reese Miller/Julia Fleigner(UM) - 6-4
Nicole Khirin/Lucciana Perez (A&M) def. Piper Charney/Emily Sartz-Lunde (UM) - 7-5
Order of Finish: 1,2,3
SINGLES
#1 Mary Stoiana (A&M) vs. #6 Julia Fliegner (UM) – 4-6, 6-3. 5-1 - unfinished
#13 Nicole Khirin (A&M) def. #21 Piper Charney (UM) – 5-7, 6-3, 6-1
#67 Mia Kupres (A&M) def. #46 Lily Jones (UM) – 6-4, 7-6(3)
#68 Emily Sartz-Lunde (UM) def. #51 Lucciana Perez (A&M) – 6-2, 6-4
#109 Daria Smetannikov (A&M) vs. Reese Miller (UM) – 3-6, 7-6(5), 2-1 - unfinished
Lexington Reed (A&M) def. Jessica Bernales (UM) – 7-5, 6-0
Order of finish: 6,4,3,2
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
