No. 3 Aggies Headed to Third Straight NCAA Semifinals

ATHENS – The 4-seed Texas A&M Aggies advanced to their third consecutive NCAA Women's Tennis Championship Semifinals with a thrilling 4-3 victory over the 5-seed North Carolina Tar Heels Friday evening at Magill Tennis Complex.
 
Violeta Martinez won the match with a thrilling victory on court 5. She topped the Tar Heels' Anna Frey, 7-5, 5-7, 7-6(5).
 
Texas A&M (26-5) showed grit, responding from an early deficit to ticked off three straight wins to nose ahead 3-2.
 
North Carolina (27-4) briefly surged to a 2-0 advantage as No. 18 Ange Oby Kajuru was the first to record a singles result. She topped No. 50 Mia Kupres, 6-2, 6-2.
 
The momentum swung back toward Texas A&M as No. 1 Lucciana Perez prevailed in the marquee matchup against No. 2 Reese Brantmeier, 6-3, 6-1. With her victory over the reigning NCAA Singles Champion, Perez improved to 27-0 on the season, recording her sixth top 10 victory of year.
 
The match became a 2-2 stalemate when No. 71 Ilinca Amariei bested No. 42 Tatum Evans on court 3, 6-3, 6-2.
 
No. 106 Lexington Reed continued the charge with a straight set win on court 4. She claimed the first set, 6-4 and after falling behind 5-3, Reed rattled off four straight games to put A&M one victory from the semifinals.
 
The Tar Heels responded with a win on court 6. Thea Rabman nosed past No. 98 Daria Smetannikov, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, to turn all eyes to Martinez and Frey on court 5.
 
The pivotal doubles point came down to a tiebreaker on court 1. No. 9 Brantmeier/Alanis Hamilton gave North Carolina the early lead with a 7-6(1) victory over No. 11 Perez/Kupres.
 
UNC's No. 5 Evans/Kajuru checked in with a 6-2 victory against Smetannikov/Reed on court 3 to start doubles. No. 35 Martinez/Amariei evened the keel with a 6-4 triumph over Zampardo/Susanna Maltby on court 2.
 
The Aggies face the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs in Saturday's 6 p.m. semifinal contest. It marks the third consecutive time the teams will meet in the NCAA Tournament. The last two seasons they met in the finals with A&M winning the title in 2024 and the Bulldogs responding with a victory in 2025.
 
#3 Texas A&M 4, #5 North Carolina 3
Magill Tennis Complex – Athens, Georgia
 
SINGLES
#1 Lucciana Perez (A&M) def. #2 Reese Brantmeier (UNC) – 6-3, 6-1
#18 Ange Oby Kajuru (UNC) def. #50 Mia Kupres (A&M) – 6-2, 6-2
#71 Ilinca Amariei (A&M) def. # 42 Tatum Evans (UNC) – 6-3, 6-2
#106 Lexington Reed (A&M) def. #116 Maddy Zampardo (UNC) – 6-4, 7-5
Violeta Martinez (A&M) def. Anna Frey (UNC) – 7-5, 5-7, 7-6(5)
Thea Rabman (UNC) def. #98 Daria Smetannikov (A&M) – 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
Order of finish: 2,1,3,4,6,5

DOUBLES
#11 Lucciana Perez/Mia Kupres (A&M) vs. #9 Reese Brantmeier/Alanis Hamilton (UNC) – 7-6(1)
#35 Violeta Martinez/Ilinca Amariei (A&M) def. Maddy Zampardo/Susanna Maltby (UNC) – 6-4
#5 Tatum Evans/Oby Kajuru (UNC) def. Daria Smetannikov/Lexington Reed (A&M) – 6-2
Order of finish: 3,2,1
 
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
Head Coach Mark Weaver
On the match...
"It was a remarkable college tennis match. The level of play was so high for both teams. Unfortunately, there had to be a winner and there had to be a loser, but it was truly one of the most exciting matches I've ever been a part of. You couldn't ask for more just drama out there, and high-level tennis. Both girls (in the deciding match) battled like warriors out there. What a great match sportsmanship wise on both sides I really felt like and there was great representation of both universities. I'm just so proud of my girls. It truly was one for the ages."
 
Senior Violeta Martinez
On clinching to advance Texas A&M to the Final Four...
"I don't think I've ever clinched a match like this, a very important match. It felt incredible. When the last point happened, I just looked at the girls, and they came running after me. I always wanted to feel that. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew that tie break was going to go my way. I just kept envisioning the girls running after me. It feels amazing. It's a team effort. I got one point, but there were still three other points that were made. I'm just grateful for the girls and for all the coaches here."
 
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