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Texas A&M
No. 14 Women’s Tennis falls to No. 1 Texas A&M, 4-0
04.18.2025 | Women's Tennis
The Longhorns reached the quarterfinals of the SEC Championship and will await an NCAA Tournament bid.
Auburn, Ala. – No. 14 Texas Women's Tennis fell to No. 1 Texas A&M, 4-0, in the SEC Championship quarterfinals on Friday at the Yarbrough Tennis Center in Auburn, Ala. After reaching the quarterfinals of the SEC Championship, the Longhorns will now await an NCAA Tournament bid.
Texas opened doubles with a win at No. 2, but Texas A&M claimed the doubles point with wins at Nos. 1 and 3. The Aggies then followed with singles wins at Nos. 2, 3 and 1.
In doubles, freshmen Charlotte Kempeaers-Pocz and Salma Drugdova topped Mia Kupres and Daria Smetannikov, 6-3, at No. 2. The Longhorns collected the only two breaks of the contest on the only two deuce points, first for a 2-1 lead and then for the match.
The No. 30 pair of freshmen Ashton Bowers and Ariana Anazagasty-Pursoo then fell to No. 35 Lucciana Perez and Mary Stoiana, 6-2, at No. 1. The teams exchanged deuce-point breaks to begin the match, but the Aggies broke again to start a 4-0 run that included a deuce-point hold for 3-1. The Longhorns got one game back on deuce-point hold, but Texas A&M held in the final game for the win.
The deciding match was then at No. 3 where freshman Carmen Herea and senior Sabina Zeynalova were downed by Nicole Khirin and Lexington Reed, 6-3. In the opposite of the match at No. 1, the teams exchanged deuce-point breaks to start out. The Aggies were later the first to break for a 4-2 lead, but the Longhorns broke back for 4-3. However, Texas A&M broke again on a deuce point for 5-3 and served out the match in the next game.
The Aggies increased the lead to begin singles as No. 37 Herea was defeated by No. 17 Khirin, 6-2, 6-1, at No. 2. After both players held their opening serves at love, Khirin went on a 4-0 run that she completed with consecutive deuce-point wins. Herea got one break back on a deuce point for 5-2, but Khirin broke again for the set. In the second, Herea broke at love in the first game, however Khirin went on a 6-0 run to the finish.
Texas A&M made it a 3-0 lead as No. 92 Bowers fell to No. 72 Kupres, 6-4, 6-1, at No. 3. The first set was broken up into runs as Kupres moved out to a 3-0 lead with a break in the second game, but Bowers responded with a 4-0 run, including a deuce-point hold for 3-3. Bowers next service game also went to deuce, however this time Kupres broke to start an 8-0 run to take the set and register a 5-0 lead in the second. Bowers got one game back on a deuce-point hold, but Kupres closed the match with a hold in the following game.
The match at No. 1 then provided the clinch as No. 56 Zeynalova was downed by No. 2 Mary Stoiana, 6-3, 6-1, at No. 1. Zeynalova broke first in the match, doing so at love for a 3-2 lead, however Stoiana broke back on a deuce point to start a 4-0 run for the win. In the second set, Zeynalova broke back at deuce for 1-1, but three other deuce points, including two in the final two games, all went Stoiana's way as she went on a 5-0 run to win.
Three matches then went unfinished as freshman No. 61 Eszter Meri was up a set, 6-4, 2-5, over No. 51 Lucciana Perez at No. 4. Perez won eight of the first nine points to break and hold for a 2-0 lead, but Meri answered that by winning eight of the next nine for a for a hold and a break for 2-2. That would be the beginning of a 4-0 run that Meri completed with consecutive deuce-point wins for a 4-2 lead. Perez evened it again with the next two games, but Meri secured the break she needed to serve out the after that, 6-4. In the second set, Meri's first two service games went to deuce, and although she held the first one, Perez broke on the second for a 2-1 lead. Those would be the start of a 4-0 run for a 4-1 lead. Meri got one game back on a break for 4-2, but Perez broke back and was on a set point when play stopped.
No. 78 Anazagasty-Pursoo had just won her second set against No. 102 Smetannikov, but was trailing, 1-6, 6-3, 0-1, at No. 5. Smetannikov broke in the opening game and held her first three service games at deuce for a 5-1 lead before she served the set out in the next game. In the second set, Anazagasty-Pursoo broke first on a deuce point for a 2-1 lead, and it would be the first of four-straight games that went to deuce with all resulting in breaks for 3-3. From there, Anazagasty-Pursoo won 12 of the final 15 points of the set to finish on a 3-0 run for 6-3. Smetannikov then broke in the first game of the third set before play halted.
The first set in the match at No. 6 between junior Vivian Ovrootsky and Lexington Reed had gone to a tiebreaker that Reed won, but Ovrootsky was in the process of turning the match around, 6-7 (3), 4-1, when play concluded. The first five games were on serve until Reed broke on a deuce point for a 4-2 lead. Ovrootsky broke back and held to even it, and the next three games were on serve despite both of Reed's serves in that span going to deuce. With Reed leading, 6-5, Ovrootsky held on a deuce point to send it to a tiebreaker. There, the players alternated winning two points starting with Reed until she led, 4-2. Ovrootsky got one point back, but Reed closed the frame on a 3-0 run to win. In the second set, Ovrootsky jumped out to a 3-0 lead with a break in the second game, and the last two games were on serve, as Ovrootsky finished with a deuce-point hold for 4-1.
#1 Texas A&M 4, #14 Texas 0
Singles – Order of Finish (2,3,1)
1. #2 Mary Stoiana (TAMU) def. #56 Sabina Zeynalova (TEXAS) 6-3, 6-1
2. #17 Nicole Khirin (TAMU) def. #37 Carmen Herea (TEXAS) 6-2, 6-1
3. #72 Mia Kupres (TAMU) def. #92 Ashton Bowers (TEXAS) 6-4, 6-1
4. #51 Lucciana Perez (TAMU) vs. #61 Eszter Meri (TEXAS) 4-6, 5-2, unf.
5. #102 Daria Smetannikov (TAMU) vs. #78 Ariana Anazagasty-Pursoo (TEXAS) 6-1, 3-6, 1-0, unfinished
6. Lexington Reed (TAMU) vs. Vivian Ovrootsky (TEXAS) 7-6 (3), 1-4, unf.
Doubles – Order of Finish Doubles (2,1,3)
1. #35 Mary Stoiana/Lucciana Perez (TAMU) def. #30 Ashton Bowers/Ariana Anazagasty-Pursoo (TEXAS) 6-2
2. #75 Salma Drugdova/Charlotte Kempenaers-Pocz (TEXAS) def. Mia Kupres/Daria Smetannikov (TAMU) 6-3
3. Nicole Khirin/Lexington Reed (TAMU) def. Sabina Zeynalova/Carmen Herea (TEXAS) 6-3
Players Mentioned
