History.
The 2022 Texas A&M women’s tennis team is on a historic run.
With one regular-season match remaining, Mark Weaver’s Aggies are 26-1 overall and a perfect 12-0 in Southeastern Conference play.
By beating Arkansas in Fayetteville on Friday, the Aggies clinched a share of the SEC Championship. A few hours later, the Maroon & White watched as No. 10 Georgia — who sat one game behind the Aggies in the SEC standings — fell to unranked Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
UGA’s loss on Friday evening granted Texas A&M its first outright conference championship since 1986 when Bobby Kleinecke’s Aggies were 19-8 overall and 6-2 in league play to capture the Southwest Conference crown.
“What an amazing day for Texas A&M University,” Weaver said. “Not only do we have an excellent group of tennis players, but we also have an amazing group of young women who represent Texas A&M well. Every Aggie out there should be proud of what this group has accomplished.”
In 1986, A&M exited the NCAA Tournament in the first round. These Aggies are set up to go much further.
Ranked 14th in the ITA’s preseason poll, the Aggies have climbed to as high as No. 5 and are currently the sixth-ranked team in the nation.
Texas A&M boasts three players with perfect SEC records as Tatiana Makarova, Jayci Goldsmith and Mary Stoiana are each 12-0. Gianna Pielet is 8-4, and Katya Townsend is 7-1. Court-No. 1 player Carson Branstine is 7-5 against the best the league has to offer. As a whole, the Aggies have lost just 10 individual conference matches and have a .848 winning percentage.
A&M is also extremely strong in doubles play, headlined by the pairing of Makarova and Goldsmith. The duo is 28-5 overall and 8-1 in SEC action. The Aggies are 24-7 in league doubles play and have not dropped a doubles point in conference.
“What an amazing day for Texas A&M University. Not only do we have an excellent group of tennis players, but we also have an amazing group of young women who represent Texas A&M well. Every Aggie out there should be proud of what this group has accomplished.”
- A&M head coach Mark Weaver
This season has been full of highlights for the Maroon & White.
A&M is riding a 17-match winning streak, and the team’s lone loss came on Feb. 11 to then-No. 4 California, 4-3, in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Madison, Wisc.
In a Feb. 13 bout with No. 10 Southern California, Branstine knocked off the top-ranked individual in the nation, beating Eryn Cayetano in straight sets (6-4, 6-3). The Aggies took the match over the Trojans, 4-1, and Branstine was named the SEC’s Player of the Week.
Speaking of conference honors, Texas A&M has swept the SEC’s weekly awards four times this season. Branstine and Makarova are both two-time recipients of the league’s Player of the Week honor, while Stoiana has been tabbed the SEC’s Freshman of the Week on four separate occasions.
In the preseason polls, Texas A&M was picked to finish second behind Georgia, but on March 27, the Aggies upset the Bulldogs in Athens. A&M swept the SEC favorite, 7-0, and jumped into the driver’s seat for the conference crown.
Other bright spots this season include a perfect 18-0 home record at the Mitchell Tennis Center, an 11-0 record against in-state foes and a 5-1 mark against ranked opponents.
Texas A&M concludes the regular season on Sunday against Missouri in Columbia, and the SEC Tournament begins next Friday, April 22, in Gainesville. The Aggies are also a shoo-in to host the first two rounds (at least) of the NCAA Tournament in Aggieland, which starts on May 6.
While the job is certainly not finished, Weaver and his historic Aggies are well on their way.
