BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Texas A&M’s Mary Stoiana and Mia Kupres swept the SEC weekly awards, the league announced Wednesday afternoon. Stoiana secured her second player of the week honor of the season, the sixth of her career, while Kupres also claimed her second freshman of the week honor of her career.
The pairs’ performance during the team’s three-game stretch at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida was crucial to securing a trio of team wins.
No. 9 Stoiana, a sophomore from Southbury, Connecticut, tallied a pair of singles wins on the trip, the first was a ranked win versus No. 22 Sydni Ratliff from then-No. 2 Ohio State (6-3, 4-6, 6-2). She followed that up with another win the next day over Northwestern’s Maria Shusharina (6-3, 6-2). Stoiana nearly secured the three singles win sweep, but was left at match point versus Yasmine Kabbaj from FIU on the opening day (6-0, 3-6, 5-1) as the match was clinched (4-1). She also secured a ranked doubles win with partner Carson Branstine, the pair currently rank as the No. 10 team in the nation, when they bested Buckeye pair No. 11 Ratliff/Irina Cantos (6-2). The duo was also up in its other two doubles matches, however both were left unfinished due to doubles points being clinched.
No. 121 Kupres, a freshman from Edmonton, Alberta, continued to shine in singles play securing three wins, two of which were versus ranked opponents. Opening her Orlando campaign, Kupres dominated FIU’s Kamila Umarova (6-2, 6-0) and was the first Aggie off the court. In the second match with the Buckeyes Kupres secured her second ranked win of the season over No. 105 Shelly Bereznyak (4-6, 6-0, 6-2), this win also clinched the match for A&M. In the final singles match of the trip to the USTA National Campus, she claimed her third ranked win of the season making quick work of No. 99 Christina Hand (6-2, 6-4). Kupres also picked up a doubles win with partner Gianna Pielet after battling Northwestern’s Kiley Rabjohns/Shusharina (6-3), which clinched the doubles point for the Aggies and gave them an advantage as they headed to singles play.
The Aggies remain in Florida and head up to Gainesville for their first SEC dual match of the season. The Maroon & White face the Gators at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex, Friday, March 3 with first serve set for 4 p.m. CT.
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