Islanders Toughened by Defeat at No. 13 Texas A&M

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – In a match between two unbeaten teams, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's tennis program went toe-to-toe at the top of the lineup against 13th-ranked Texas A&M in a 7-0 defeat on Thursday at the Mitchell Tennis Center.
 
The Islanders are now 4-1 on the season. They were up a set at both No. 1 and No. 2 singles, and were ahead 5-4 in the first set at No. 3. It came after they won the first game on all three doubles courts.
 
"We made a big commitment to come into this match with three goals – play extremely physical, no fear and win the battle for energy. I thought these girls poured their heart and soul into doing that. They really fought hard today and we'll leave this match knowing that if we work hard on some key things we can absolutely play anyone in the country," said head coach Steve Moore. "Texas A&M has a great team this year, one of the best teams they've had in a long time. They've done an amazing job recruiting and building that team, and this was a dogfight today."
 
The closest matches came at No. 1 and 2 singles. At the top spot, sophomore Emma Aucagne was up a set after winning the first 6-2. Though, Carson Branstine battled back for the Aggies to win the next two 6-1, 6-3.
 
Junior Mariya Shumeika also stood her ground at No. 2. She won the first set 6-4 but dropped the second 6-1. By that time, the Aggies had clinched the overall match and Shumeika was forced to play a third-set super tiebreaker where she was edged out 10-5. 
 
In doubles, the sophomore team of Leopoldine Boisseau and Kateryna Rublevska hung tough and were trailing 5-2 in an unfinished match that included five consecutive deuce games. Boisseau is the reigning Southland Conference Player of the Week winner.
 
The Islanders will have a quick turnaround when they head back to Corpus Christi for a 2 p.m. match Friday against UTSA at the Thomas J. Henry Tennis Center.
 
A&M-Corpus Christi Tennis
- 13 NCAA Tournaments
- 28 SLC Championships
- 4 Top-40 National Rankings
- 3.0 GPA 35 Straight Semesters
- Islanders have received a No. 3 seed at the NCAA Tournament three times
- Women's tennis has cracked the ITA top-75 national rankings three times
- Men's tennis has cracked the ITA national rankings 10 consecutive years
- Ranked nationally in NCAA DI as high as No. 35 for the men and No. 60 for the women
 
No. 13 Texas A&M 7, A&M-Corpus Christi 0
Doubles Competition
1. Jayci Goldsmith/Tatiana Makarova (TAMU) def. Mariya Shumeika/Camille Townsend (AMCC-W) 6-2
2. Carson Branstine/Mary Stoiana (TAMU) def. Emma Aucagne/Emma Honore (AMCC-W) 6-3
3. Jeanette Mireles/Gianna Pielet (TAMU) vs. Kateryna Rublevska/Leopoldine Boisseau (AMCC-W) 5-2, unfinished
 
Singles Competition
1. Carson Branstine (TAMU) def. Emma Aucagne (AMCC-W) 2-6, 6-1, 6-3
2. Tatiana Makarova (TAMU) def. Mariya Shumeika (AMCC-W) 4-6, 6-1, 10-5
3. Mary Stoiana (TAMU) def. Camille Townsend (AMCC-W) 7-5, 6-1
4. Jayci Goldsmith (TAMU) def. Emma Honore (AMCC-W) 6-2, 6-2
5. Gianna Pielet (TAMU) def. Leopoldine Boisseau (AMCC-W) 6-1, 6-0
6. Jeanette Mireles (TAMU) def. Victoire Delattre (AMCC-W) 6-0, 6-1

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