COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The No. 9-ranked Auburn women's tennis team dropped its first SEC match of the season Friday afternoon as No. 7 Texas A&M won 7-0 at the Mitchell Tennis Center.
The Tigers (16-3, 7-1 SEC) got a big doubles win to start the match, but from there, it was all Aggies (23-1, 9-0) as A&M won its 14th match in a row.
"Credit to Texas A&M," Auburn head coach Caroline Lilley said. "They did a much better job than I did of having their team prepared. The wind really went out of our sails after the doubles point, and that is a reflection of my inability to prepare my team appropriately. There is a lot more tennis to be played this year, and we will respond on Sunday with the grit we dig to find within ourselves."
Auburn got off to a great start as the 22nd-ranked doubles team of Selin Ovunc and Ariana Arseneault defeated A&M's No. 2-ranked tandem of Jayci Goldsmith and Tatiana Makarova, 6-3. But the Aggies got wins on the other two doubles courts – Georgie Axon and Adeline Flach fell 6-3 to No. 48 Branstine and Stoiana, and Ansari and Meredith dropped a 6-4 match to McBryde and Pielet – and A&M took a 1-0 lead.
Singles play saw the Aggies claim the first set on five of six courts and win in straight sets on four courts to clinch the win. Ovunc fell to No. 23 Carson Branstine, 6-2, 6-1; Arseneault dropped a 6-4, 7-6 match to #29 Tatiana Makarova; Axon came up short to Gianna Pielet, 6-1, 6-2, and Yu Chen fell to Katya Townsend, 6-2, 7-5.
Flach forced a third set on court five before ultimately falling short to Goldsmith, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, and Ansari earned a first-set win before dropping the next two in a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 loss to 93rd=ranked Mary Stoiana.
Auburn will wrap up the weekend with a Sunday morning match at LSU. First serve is set for 11 a.m. CT in Baton Rouge.
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#7 Texas A&M 7, #9 Auburn 0
Singles
1. #23 Carson Branstine (TAMU) def. #65 Selin Ovunc (AU), 6-2, 6-1
2. #29 Tatiana Makarova (TAMU) def. #59 Ariana Arseneault (AU), 6-4, 7-6
3. #93 Mary Stoiana (TAMU) def. #81 Carolyn Ansari (AU), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2
4. Jayci Goldsmith (TAMU) def. Adeline Flach (AU), 6-3, 4-6, 7-5
5. Gianna Pielet (TAMU) def. Georgie Axon (AU), 6-1, 6-2
6. Katya Townsend (TAMU) def. Yu Chen (AU), 6-2, 7-5
Order of finish: 5, 1, 6, 2, 4, 3
Doubles
1. #22 Ovunc/Arseneault (AU) def. #2 Goldsmith/Makarova (TAMU), 6-3
2. #48 Branstine/Stoiana (TAMU) def. Axon/Flach (AU), 6-3
3. McBryde/Pielet (TAMU) def. Ansari/Meredith (AU), 6-4
Order of finish: 1, 3, 2
