Eagle Staff Writer
Anna Blagodarova has pushed playing for her Texas A&M teammates to another level.
As the lone match on the courts and the score tied 3-3 against Texas in the Big 12 semifinals, the senior born in Russia and raised in Canada thought back to a story coach Bobby Kleinecke had told about a player who'd graduated the year before Blagodarova enrolled at A&M.
Jessica Roland was in a similar situation, playing Texas for a Big 12 title with the match coming down to her court. Roland lost 7-6 in the third set, but Kleinecke uses the story to portray how much heart she put into the match for her team.
"I was thinking, 'I'm going to do this for Jessie,'" Blagodarova said. "That match had stuck in my head, and I thought, 'I wonder if I'll have that opportunity,' and I did."
Unfortunately for Blagodarova, A&M and maybe even Roland, Blagodarova lost in a third-set tiebreaker as well.
Kleinecke will have another story, though.
"Drama like that can't be set up. It just happens," Kleinecke said. "It was like a 15-round boxing match, both girls wobbling around, neither throwing a punch, and it was whoever is going to stand up the longest."
Blagodarova was cramping nearly the entire third set and midway through had to take a medical timeout. She had had trouble with cramps over the past two seasons, but she said never to that extreme.
"It was a loss, but she will be remembered for the heart that she showed," said Kleinecke. "You try to impress on the players that years and years down the road, the wins and losses will blend together. They are not going to stand out, but the relationships are going to be the most important thing, your relationship with Texas A&M and with the team and the fans."
Blagodarova has already accepted Kleinecke's view over her final match for A&M at the Mitchell Tennis Center.
"In a way, it's a sad match to end on, but in a way it's definitely a memorable one," Blagodarova said. "I know that deep down I put everything out there, played through the cramps. I know I did all I could, and in the end, what I'm going to remember is the effort and the crowd and the team."
It wasn't always about the team for Blagodarova. As a freshman, she remembers asking what all the fuss was about after the Aggies lost a close match.
That soon changed for the player who earned this year's Aggie Heart Award, which was decided even before her match against Texas.
"You have so much fan support and you have so much support behind you just in general, from the team, the coaches, the fans," she said. "It's hard not to show heart. It just kind of comes naturally."
It didn't take long for Blagodarova to become a fan favorite. Her style and emotion had everyone keeping an eye on court No. 3, where she played most of her matches at A&M. And they didn't watch many losses.
Blagodarova is two singles victory shy of 100 and is third on the all-time list behind Nicki Mechum (113) and Anna Lubinsky (109), whom both graduated last year.
"Even when recruiting her, I knew that she was special," Kleinecke said. "The first week she couldn't keep any balls in play, and I'm starting to question myself, but we found out really quickly at the national indoors ... she's playing No. 3 as a freshman and goes undefeated and that's not easy to do."
Blagodarova also has also done well in doubles, posting 92 victories, which is tied with teammate Tiffany Clifford for fourth all-time. Blagodarova played at No. 3 doubles last season but moved up to No. 1 for most of this season, where she joined her best friend Clifford.
"We're so close, and then when we take it to the next level and play doubles, oh my God. We felt like we knew each other so well that we could almost predict where the other one would be," Blagodarova said. "It was an honor playing with her because she is such a great doubles player."
Stanford a welcome change
After traveling to Waco for two straight years to play in the NCAA regionals, A&M is heading west this season to Stanford, Calif.
A&M (16-8) opens the tournament at noon Friday against Washington (12-9). The winner will play the winner of Stanford and Boston at 2 p.m. Saturday. Stanford is seeded fourth nationally.
"The NCAAs is a reward, kind of a prize for teams that do well throughout the year," Kleinecke said. "When you are always gong somewhere that's close by, that you go to all time, it doesn't seem as neat."
A&M has faced Washington only once, winning 8-1 in 1984. A&M lost it's only match to Stanford, a 5-1 decision in 1998 in College Station. The Aggies have never faced Boston.
The newness appeals to all parties involved for the Aggies.
"We've always stayed in Texas the last three years, so it's really, really nice to get out and not have to play Big 12 teams," said Blagodarova, who along with her teammates let out a big cheer when it was announced the Aggies were headed to Stanford. "It was a relief not going to Waco. We thought we would join them again."
It's the ninth straight season the Aggies have made the NCAA Tournament. It's the first time they've left the state for the first round since 2001, when they played at Notre Dame.
A&M is 11-14 in the NCAA Tournament all-time.
• Richard Croome's e-mail address is richard.croome@theeagle.com.
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