Mar 24, 2019
FAYETTEVILE, Ark. – Texas A&M sophomore Tatiana Makarova secured a last-match standing victory to help the No. 11 Aggie women's tennis team win their fourth straight match by defeating Arkansas, 4-3, Sunday afternoon at the Billingsley Tennis Center. The Aggies improved to 18-3 this spring and 6-2 in SEC play with the victory, while the Razorbacks fell to 8-10 overall and 1-6 against the league.
"We started out on fire by winning the doubles point and had a great start in the singles," Texas A&M women's tennis head coach Mark Weaver said. "Credit to Arkansas for fighting back and earning a big momentum turn. We had a great rebound by the girls once the match seemed to turn in Arkansas' advantage. These matches build character and that is what our group has shown all year. Next time we need to put the matches away when we have the opportunity to. We just keep getting better as our team gains valuable experience each and every time we step on the court in pressure filled situations like these."
With the Aggies trailing 3-2, A&M's Makarova and Renee McBryde reeled off three-set victories to extend the win streak for the Maroon & White. McBryde captured the third point of the match with a 7-5, 5-7, 6-3 win on court four over Arkansas' Lauren Altar. McBryde earned her third straight win to improve to 11-5 in dual matches and 5-2 against league foes.
"In the moment I knew I just had to keep fighting," McBryde said. "Fight for myself and for my team. If I could get through my match, I knew we would be able to get the rest of the team through."
With all of the attention shifted to court three, Makarova reeled off the final three games of the match to clinch the A&M victory. The A&M sophomore topped Arkansas' Laura Rijkers 6-2, 5-7, 7-5 to improve to 12-3 this spring and 18-5 overall this year.
"I was fighting for my school and my team and I knew that the match had to end in a win," Makarova said. "I just had to stay focused and fight for every point and the match would turn in my favor."
A&M's Riley McQuaid slowed the Arkansas momentum in singles play. After the Razorbacks reeled off wins on courts one and two, McQuaid outlasted Arkansas' Miruna Tudor 6-1, 6-7(1) 6-2 on court five to even the team score at two-all. The win was McQuaid's seventh straight to improve to a staggering 16-1 in dual matches and keep her SEC record perfect, 5-0.
The Aggies opened the day by capturing the doubles point for the fourth straight match. The Aggie duo of McBryde and Katya Townsend, ranked No. 55 nationally, earned a 6-3 win on court two over Alter and Thea Rice followed by A&M's Makarova and Jayci Goldsmith, ranked No. 63 nationally, clinching the point with a 6-4 win on court one over Martina Zerulo and Tatum Rice.