AUBURN, Ala. – No. 11 women's tennis dropped their match against No. 2 Texas A&M by a 5-2 score at home on Sunday afternoon.
"Texas A&M played tough from start to finish," Auburn head coach Caroline Lilley said after the match. "We had some squandered opportunities in doubles, but I loved our intent. Those misses will go our way as we continue to gain more match experience.
"There's no room for passivity," Coach Lilley continued. "At times we were unsure, which led to us not playing the patterns we wanted to. Combine that with playing a team that capitalized really well on earned chances and it presented some challenges. We have more tennis to play, and I know we are hungry to improve as a staff and as a team. Our best is ahead of us so long as we remain focused on growth and excited about knowing we have a lot of areas to hone in on. Areas where the little things make all the difference.
The Tigers and Aggies played a very close doubles point with competitive matches on all three courts. Adeline Flach and Angella Okutoyi were tied in their match 3-3 with Mia Kupres and Mary Stoiana, but Kupres and Stoiana claimed the next three games to win the match 6-3.
Auburn's top doubles team of Ariana Arseneault and Carolyn Ansari was tied with Jayci Goldsmith and Salma Ewing, the 46th ranked doubles team in the nation, 5-5 on court one. Goldsmith and Ewing then won the next two games to claim the match 7-5 and pick up the doubles point for the Aggies.
Texas A&M won quickly on court five to extend their lead to 2-0, but Auburn's DJ Bennett won her match in two sets over No. 120 Goldsmith 6-3, 6-2 on court four. The win marks the freshman's fifth singles win of the season in conference play and her third dual singles win over a ranked opponent.
Kaitlyn Carnicella then dropped her match on court three and Adeline Flach was defeated on court six. Texas A&M's win on court six clinched the match victory for the Aggies.
Just after Flach's match came to an end, Arseneault defeated Salma Ewing in a tight 7-5, 7-5 match. The win is the 10th dual singles victory of the season for Arsneault and her third in SEC play. On court one, Ansari forced a third set by winning set two by a 6-3 score against Mary Stoiana, the third ranked singles player in the country. With the team result no longer in question, Ansari and Stoiana played a ten-point tiebreaker to decide the winner, which Stoiana won 10-8.
With the victory, Texas A&M improves their overall record to 19-1 and their SEC record remains perfect at 7-0. Auburn falls to 14-5 overall and 4-3 in conference play.
Up next, the Tigers will travel north to battle No. 45 Kentucky on the road. The match is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. CT at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Center.
#2 Texas A&M 5, #11 Auburn 2
Singles results:
1. #3 Mary Stoiana (TAM) def. #32 Carolyn Ansari (AUB) 6-7 (3-7), 6-3, 1-0 (10-8) 2. #50 Ariana Arseneault (AUB) def. Salma Ewing (TAM) 7-5, 7-5
3. #100 Mia Kupres (TAM) def. Kaitlyn Carnicella (AUB) 6-2, 6-4
4. DJ Bennett (AUB) def. #120 Jayci Goldsmith (TAM) 6-3, 6-2
5. #101 Daria Smetannikov (TAM) def. Angella Okutoyi (AUB) 6-1, 6-1 6. Jeanette Mireles (TAM) def. Adeline Flach (AUB) 6-4, 6-3
Doubles results:
1. #46 Jayci Goldsmith/Salma Ewing (TAM) def. #20 Carolyn Ansari/Ariana Arseneault (AUB) 7-5 2. Mia Kupres/Mary Stoiana (TAM) def. #80 Adeline Flach/Angella Okutoyi (AUB) 6-3
3. DJ Bennett/Kaitlyn Carnicella (AUB) vs. Gianna Pielet/Daria Smetannikov (TAM) 5-6, unfinished
Time of match: 2:59 Order of finish: Doubles: 2,1; Singles: 5,4,3,6,2,1 Official: Donna Jerome
