Winners of nine straight, Mark Weaver's No. 2 Aggies are all smiles

Texas A&M women's tennis is 5-0 in Southeastern Conference play, and the Aggies rank second in the country. On Tuesday morning's edition of TexAgs Radio, head coach Mark Weaver shared an update on his team as the Maroon & White continue their winning ways.

Key notes from Mark Weaver interview

• As a kid, “Smiley” was a nickname people used to call me. I am just a smiley guy.
   
• We had a tough match with LSU on Friday, but we came out with a 5-2 win and beat a good team in Miami on Sunday as well with another 5-2 win. We turned some things around strategically. That’s now nine straight wins in a row, so that’s pretty nice. It's great to play through difficult times. We practice at the highest standard and work, but you can't practice from behind. I was pleased with how the match turned out in the end. You can make a practice feel as close to a game, but the game always feels different. There's nothing like the match day feeling, and we handled that quite well.
   
• Carson Branstine suffered a hip injury and is out for the rest of the season. It's something that we have been trying to manage, working with her on a day-to-day basis. She's scheduled to have surgery in a few weeks. We are trying to keep her out of the practices and the matches. Hopefully, we will see her next year. She has high pro aspirations, and the door is open for her to stay here when she recovers.
   
• Jayci Goldsmith is playing excellently. She might have started a little slow at the beginning, but she's on fire now and has won eight or nine in a row.
   
• Salma Ewing has been great. The girls love her, and it feels like she's been here for four years. I wish we could have her for more than just a semester, but she fits in great. She has become a proud Aggie quickly. There is a definitely perfect fit, and there's a lot that goes into recruiting. Salma fits that mold perfectly.
   
• To prepare, we are always ready for our matches, and we work the girls hard. That's what they want. We feel as if we are very professional. Whether it's from nutrition to hydration to sleep, we go about things the right way, and that's a big part of our consistency.
   
• We leave tomorrow morning, and we play a good team in Alabama tomorrow. We are looking to perform at a high level. We will play a good team in Auburn as well on Sunday. That game looks like it will be indoors, but we have an excellent indoor team this year.
   
• The switch is definitely tough sometimes. If it looks like it's going to rain, we will practice indoors the day before, but you never really know. In an outdoor match, you have to think things through a little bit more. It's harder to play from behind in indoor tennis as well.