Georgia women's tennis run under new coach Drake Bernstein falls just short of NCAA title
The passing of the torch atop the Georgia women’s tennis program went about as smooth as could be expected this season.
The No. 7-seeded Bulldogs made a deep postseason run under first-year coach Drake Bernstein but fell short Sunday night in the NCAA championship match with a 4-1 loss to No. 13-seeded Texas A&M in Stillwater, Okla.
The Bulldogs reached the national final for the first time since 2019 but were denied the program’s first NCAA outdoor title since coach Jeff Wallace won his second in 2000, to go along with the one the Bulldogs won in 1994. It was the Aggies' first national title.
Texas A&M had lost all three previous matches this year to Georgia, including in the SEC Tournament final, but won on the biggest stage of all in a match that was forced indoors due to inclement weather during doubles play.
The Aggies took that point and then grabbed control in singles, winning the first set on four of six courts. Georgia showed fight, winning on Court 4 with Anastasia Lopata taking a 6-4, 6-1 decision over Mia Kupres.
Texas A&M saw Lucciana Perez close out Guillermina Grant 6-2, 7-6 (7-2) and the nation’s No. 1 player Mary Stoiana turn back Dasha Vidmanova 6-1, 7-6 (7-4). The Aggies clinched when Nicole Khirin beat Mell Reasco 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 on Court 3.
“I couldn't be more proud of the way this team fought," Bernstein said. "I mean really, we were behind the eight ball the entire night and to see this team just continue to push and really force them to play a level of tennis that was nothing short of incredible was, you know, you don't always win."
Wallace retired after last season when Georgia lost in the semifinals to North Carolina, ending his 38-season run as head coach that included 20 SEC titles and 818 wins.
Bernstein played on the Georgia men’s team from 2007-11 and was part of a team that won a national title in 2008. He was promoted to women’s head coach after serving as associate coach under Wallace for 11 seasons.
“He knows what it takes to be a national champion and how to achieve success both on and off the court,” athletic director Josh Brooks said when announcing the hire.
Georgia beat Alabama State, Florida State, Cal, Stanford and Pepperdine to reach the title match.
Georgia (25-5) returned four of the six players it put on the court in singles in the semifinals last season: Vildmanova, Reasco, Lopata and Grant.
Alex Vecic from Germany stepped into the lineup at No. 2 singles after a redshirt season. Junior Mai Nirundorn from Thailand moved in at No. 6 singles.
“Really proud of the heavy ground we’ve covered in the last three months,” Bernstein said after a 4-0 semifinal win Saturday against Pepperdine. “This team’s got a lot of character, a lot of heart, a lot of fight. They’re playing for a lot of people back home.”
Grant, from Uruguay, heard encouragement in Spanish from retiring Georgia men’s tennis coach Manuel Diaz during her semifinal match. He was there for this week’s NCAA singles and doubles competition.
Texas A&M (28-7) notched the doubles point for the first time this year in four matches against the Bulldogs.
The match was suspended due to rain less than 30 minutes into doubles play, briefly resumed before another delay, then went indoors with storms in the area and winning on courts 2 and 3. The Aggies proved too much in singles to secure the national title.
"We can control the way that we compete and I'm super proud of the way we did that tonight," Bernstein said. "It shows how far the team has come.”
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Georgia women's tennis stopped by Texas A&M in NCAA title match
