Weaver's second masterpiece puts A&M in rarefied air

Two years ago, Mark Weaver took Texas A&M women’s tennis to the pinnacle of the sport.

And 728 days later, on another Sunday evening in May, his Aggies moved like perfect brush strokes on canvas across courts in Athens, Georgia.

The result? Another masterpiece.

The NCAA Tournament’s No. 4 seed, they were looked at as an underdog, but they proved again to be in vogue as 2026 was painted Maroon & White with a 4-1 win over No. 2 seed Auburn.

“In a lot of ways, this one was more enjoyable,” the Aggie head coach said. “We had a lot more challenges against us this year, a lot more adversity. There was a lot of uncertainty this season, picked fifth in the SEC, and I think a lot of people probably didn’t think we'd make the Sweet 16 this year.

“Just truly heart of champions by the girls. The most resilient group I’ve ever been around. Grit and determination. Playing with heart. Truly so proud of this group of young ladies.”

The finishing touches came on Court 6 as Daria Smetannikov outraced the undefeated Lucciana Perez to the title-clinching moment.

Serving on a deuce point with a 5-4 lead in the third set, the New Jersey native locked in on Ava Esposito for a rally that would cement A&M’s claim to a women’s tennis dynasty.

Back-and-forth, back-and-forth, back-and…wide right.

“The matches this year were so tight and so physical — 4-3, 4-3 — so to come into the final after those two matches, as a group we were so pulled together. We were so motivated,” Smetannikov said. “After that, we had this confidence in ourselves. Winning this just means so much to us after the hard work we've put in this entire year.”

The tournament MVP’s triumph was the lone three-set victory required after needing three to outlast defending champion Georgia the night before, though Perez and Mia Kupres certainly appeared capable.

The two biggest differences in this particular picture are striking: It was finished before midnight local time and featured a successful doubles point.

A&M had fallen in doubles on four consecutive occasions entering the title bout.

Perez and Kupres on Court 1 (7-6 - 7-3) followed Smetannikov and Lexington Reed’s lead on Court 6 (6-1) to give the Aggies the early advantage.

Despite heavy legs or cramp or overall fatigue from a grueling back-to-back-to-back demanded of them against the No. 5, No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, they never tailed the Tigers.

“It’s been 26 years now I’ve been doing this job. Truly the toughest group I’ve ever seen,” Weaver said of the loudspeakers at the Magill Tennis Complex. “We’ve been playing marathons out here every night. Just doing the right things, every single day. The hard work, and I’m just so happy the rewards were there today.

“What a close-knit group. The closest-knit group we’ve ever had.”

Senior Violeta Martinez won in straight sets (7-5, 6-1) to double the lead.

Needing a first-set tiebreak, Reed — a sophomore from Florida — finished Merna Refaat (7-6, 6-3) to put A&M back on the precipice of dynastic history.

At that point, there were two questions left to answer.

The first: Who? The answer: Daria.

“I give a lot of credit to the coaches here,” she said. “They’ve helped me so much to develop my game, from hitting mindlessly to stepping back and being patient, waiting for the right one.”

Patience paid off as she had dropped the first set but responded to win (4-6, 6-2, 6-4) and clinch, meaning there was one final thing to ponder.

What goes up first: An indoor facility or the Mark Weaver statue?

A master of his domain for a second time in three years, he outdueled his former student, Auburn head coach Jordan Szabo, a Texas A&M graduate and former assistant on the 2024 title team.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a team go through that,” the Former Student-turned-War Eagle leader said graciously. “Four doubles points lost. Playing at midnight every night. Incredible job to win the event. Very, very deserving winners.”

Cooper Daniels, Texas A&M Athletics

Yet Weaver is a modern artist who has landed among fellow contemporaries: Stanford, Florida, Texas, Georgia, Southern Cal and UCLA.

That short list of schools with multiple women’s tennis championships now includes Texas A&M.

Weaver is the program’s architect. He saw what was possible in Aggieland and chipped away until it was perfect.

And like most great artists, he just did it again.

His 2026 masterpiece, with a 28-5 overall record, definitely belongs in a museum.

Results: NCAA Tournament - Finals

#4 Texas A&M 4, #2 Auburn 1

Singles

• Court No. 1: Lucciana Perez (A&M) vs. DJ Bennett (AUB) - 2-6, 6-2, 4-3 - Unfinished
• Court No. 2: Mia Kupres (A&M) vs. Ekaterina Khairutdinova (AUB) - 7-6 (7-2), 3-6, 1-1 - Unfinished
• Court No. 3: Angella Okutoyi (AUB) def. Ilinca Amariei (A&M) - 6-2, 6-2
• Court No. 4: Lexington Reed (A&M) def. Merna Refaat (AUB) - 7-6 (7-4), 6-3
• Court No. 5: Violeta Martinez (A&M) def. Ashton Bowers (AUB) - 7-5, 6-1
• Court No. 6: Daria Smetannikov (A&M) def. Ava Esposito (AUB) - 4-6, 6-2, 6-4

Doubles

• Court No. 1: Lucciana Perez/Mia Kupres (A&M) def. Ava Esposito/DJ Bennett (AUB) - 7-6 (7-3)
• Court No. 2: Angella Okutoyi/Merna Refaat (AUB) def. Violeta Martinez/Ilinca Amariei - 6-1
• Court No. 3: Daria Smetannikov/Lexington Reed (A&M) def. Ekaterina Khairutdinova/Ashton Bowers (AUB) - 6-1