To the 'ship! Aggies topple Tennessee to reach to NCAA title match

To the ‘ship!

No. 13 Texas A&M women’s tennis clinched its second-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament Championship with a 4-1 win over the Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday night in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

A win that just means more.

The Southeastern Conference battle in the semifinals mimicked the Aggies and Volunteers clash earlier this season.

A regular season thriller in Knoxville went the Aggies way back in March.

A&M’s stars shined once again to get it done in May.

The Maroon & White were red-hot, securing the double point thanks to quick work from Carson Branstine/Lucciana Perez and Mia Kupres/Mary Stoiana.

“We came out, took matters into our own hands, and we were the ones dictating the play pretty much on all three courts out there. We came out as good as we can ask for,” head coach Mark Weaver said.

Both pairs set up the Aggies as single’s play showed level competition on four of six courts.

Courts 1 and 2 displayed a championship charge.

The No. 1 player in the country, Stoiana, was the first to claim a singles point and extended her 12-match win streak.

"I knew that if I worried about myself and played every point, I would be successful," Stoiana said. "Once I got off to that quick first set, that was good for the team. I feel like it gave us a lot of momentum."

Branstine followed with a straight-set victory (7-5, 6-2) over Tennessee’s Elza Tomase.

The Vols got one back on the Aggies as Esther Adeshina took down A&M’s Jeanette Mireles.

Yet, the Aggies weren’t going to let any more points slip away.

Despite dropping her first set, Nicole Khirin recovered with dominance. She defeated her Vol opponent 6-0 and 6-3 in the second and third sets.

Khirin’s incredible response also secured a trip to the title match.

"It's not a final four match if there is not a little bit of drama,” Stoiana said. "I feel like we embrace adversity so well."

The semifinal victory set up a date with the Georgia Bulldogs in the NCAA Championship match on Sunday, May 19, at 6:30 p.m. CT.

The Aggies' only other appearance in the championship match came in 2013 when Stanford won a 4-3 decision.

"We are so talented, so we have that inner belief we can go all the way," Stoiana said. "We are trusting our work, and we are seeing it pay off. It means the world to us and we are super excited to go play that final match tomorrow."

A&M has never won a national championship.

Tomorrow serves as an opportunity to make history.