The No. 13 Texas A&M women’s tennis team began its SEC road trip with a sterling start, picking up a 4-0 win against Mississippi State on Friday, Mar. 18 at A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.
Set to face Ole Miss, Georgia and Tennessee in the coming week, the Aggies made sure to start out strong.
“I will take a decisive SEC road trip win any day of the week,” coach Mark Weaver said. “We came in and took care of business which will help us in preparation for Ole Miss Sunday.”
Fifth year Sydney Fitch and sophomore Nicole Khirin made sure the first doubles set went to the Maroon and White, winning 6-2 against juniors Maria Rizzolo and Alessia Tagliente. The No. 6 ranked pair of sophomores Mia Kupres and Mary Stoiana finished off the Bulldogs’ duo of graduate Alexandra Mikhailuk and freshman Athina Pitta, 6-4, to give A&M the first point of the day.
The Aggies came into singles riding a high note and Khirin’s performance did nothing to stop them. After picking up the win in doubles, Khirin defeated Rizzolo a second time in dominant fashion with scores of 6-2 and 6-0.
Freshman Lucciana Perez continued the Maroon and White’s hot streak, winning 6-1 and 6-2 against Pitta to put A&M one point away from victory. No. 1 ranked Stoinana showed why she deserves that billing, crushing any chance of a Bulldog comeback with a 6-3 and 6-1 win over Mikhailuk to complete the 4-0 sweep.
The Aggies hope to build off this momentum against the Ole Miss Rebels at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center on Sunday, Mar. 10.
