x
Breaking News
More () »

A&M women's tennis set to open NCAA Tournament at home against A&M Corpus Christi

Texas A&M prepares to make its 27th overall and 22nd consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.
Credit: KAGS-TV

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — No. 7 Texas A&M women’s tennis prepares to open the 2022 NCAA Tournament, as the Aggies take on the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders. First serve at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center in is slated for 1 p.m. (CT).

The winner of the match between the Aggies and Islanders will continue their stay in Aggieland and face off against the winner of the match featuring the Baylor Bears and Washington Huskies. First serve for the second round of the NCAA Tournament is scheduled for 1 p.m. (CT).

HEAD COACH MARK WEAVER SAID…

“There is definitely a lot of excitement in the air here in Aggieland. Our group is prepared to take on Texas A&M-Corpus Christi for the second time this season after they won the Southland Conference Championship once again. Coach Steve Moore does an excellent job with their program and I look forward to Friday’s matchup. Baylor and Washington also offer an exciting challenge and help make this one of the strongest regionals in the tournament. Our team is excited to play in front of the 12th Man as we begin our quest for the National Championship.”

FIRST SERVE

Texas A&M prepares to make its 27th overall and 22nd consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. The Aggies’ most recent tournament appearance in 2021 saw the Maroon & White defeat Drake and Northwestern on the road before falling to Florida State in the Sweet 16. Texas A&M is the only team from the state of Texas to appear in every NCAA Tournament since 2000 as it holds a 29-26 record in the tournament all-time.

A&M secured its first double conference championship, winning the 2022 SEC Regular Season and Tournament titles without dropping a match in 16 opportunities. Aggie skipper Mark Weaver earned the first SEC Coach of the Year accolade of his career following the team’s record-setting season, while a quartet of Aggies appeared on the All-SEC teams. Carson Branstine, Jayci Goldsmith and Tatiana Makarova each earned a spot on the All-SEC First Team, while Mary Stoiana garnered a spot on both the All-SEC Second Team and SEC All-Freshman Team.

IN THE RANKINGS

In the most recent ITA Division I Women’s Team Rankings, released on May 4, Texas A&M earned the No. 7 position. The Aggies are the highest-ranked team in the SEC, with Georgia (No. 13), Auburn (No. 14), Florida (No. 16) and Tennessee (No. 22) completing the league’s showing in the top-25. In the Tennis Channel/USTA College Tennis Top-25, A&M maintained its historic No. 1 ranking for the second consecutive week. The most recent individual rankings, released Wednesday, saw A&M’s headline doubles team of Goldsmith and Makarova appear at No. 6, while Branstine and Stoiana came in at No. 47. Branstine became A&M’s highest ranked singles athlete in eight seasons after earning the No. 8 ranking, with Makarova holding the No. 24 spot and Stoiana coming in at No. 74.

#LOCKEDIN ON THE FIELD

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi arrives in the Brazos Valley boasting a 22-3 overall record and will represent the Southland Conference in the NCAA Tournament as the league’s automatic qualifier. The Islanders have won the SLC Tournament in back-to-back seasons. A&M-Corpus Christi features a lineup of five All-Conference players headlined by sophomore Emma Aucagne and SLC Tournament MVP Mariya Shumeika. The Aggies and Islanders met earlier in the 2022 dual match season, with the Maroon & White notching a 7-0 win on January 27.

The Baylor Bears enter their 23rd NCAA Tournament in 2022 as an at-large representative of the Big 12 Conference and hold an overall record of 15-8. Baylor is led by Mel Krywoj and Alicia Herrero Linana, who hold the nation’s No. 7 doubles ranking according to the ITA. The pairing owns a 22-4 overall record on the year. Since the Maroon & White migrated to the SEC, the Aggies own a 9-2 edge in the all-time series with Baylor.

Washington secured its third trip to the NCAA Tournament under head coach Robin Stephenson and locked in an at-large bid representing the Pac-12 Conference. The Huskies started the season red-hot, earning an appearance at the ITA Indoors following a stunning 4-3 upset of the UCLA Bruins on the road. Washington is 14-11 overall and finished conference play with a 4-6 record. A&M has won all three meetings in the series with Washington, including the most recent contest in Seattle during the 2012 season when the Aggies booked a 4-3 win.

TICKETS & PARKING

Click the link here to be redirected to the ticket purchasing page for the NCAA Tournament in Aggieland. General admission tickets will be sold online and at the gate beginning one hour prior to the first match of the day. All-session tickets will be sold for $8, while single-session tickets are available for $5. All Texas A&M students will be granted free admission to both sessions with a valid Texas A&M student ID, courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics. Children under the age of 2 will be admitted for free. During doubles play, seating will be limited to one side of the facility and standing room will be utilized if needed. For more information, call 1-888-99-AGGIE.

Parking is free for all fans on Friday, while a $5 charge will be assessed for parking in all lots adjacent to the Mitchell Tennis Center on Saturday afternoon due to conflicts with Texas A&M softball and baseball. Fans are encouraged to park in Lot 100D and Lot 100E, with disabled parking available in Lot 100D near the entrance of the facility.

Before You Leave, Check This Out