Mississippi State, Texas A&M advance to the finale

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.- After two rounds of match play on Saturday, the Mississippi State and Texas A&M women's golf teams have advanced to the SEC Match Play Championship round.

The Bulldogs will go head-to-head against the Aggies, with tee times set for 7:30 a.m. CT. The match will be broadcast live on SEC Network.

Texas A&M won an instant classic when it defeated No. 4 South Carolina, 3-2, to send the Aggies to the SEC title match after Blanca Fernández García-Poggio won the clinching point in 23 holes at the par-72, 6,331-yard Greystone Golf & Country Club - Legacy Course on Saturday.

"That was an unbelievable match, and I am so proud of my group for their fight," Texas A&M coach Gerrod Chadwell said. "We have done a lot of firsts in two years. We are excited for the opportunity to bring a title back to Aggieland. The guts that Blanca and Adela showed was incredible. Hailee took down one of the best players in the world and Jennie and Zoe played with great heart. We play our best when things are tough, and I can't wait for tomorrow morning."

Fernández García-Poggio and Adela Cernousek both played five and four playoff holes, respectively, to try and clinch the semifinal match versus South Carolina. The duo went toe-to-toe with their opponents, matching each hole result. Fernández García-Poggio ultimately, won her match on hole No. 10 after a South Carolina bogie.

The Bulldogs started things on Saturday in the SEC Match Play Championship quarterfinals against Vanderbilt. The Bulldogs won two matches with ease.

Surapa Janthamunee (SJ) and Hannah Levi dominated their Saturday matches. The two Bulldogs made quick work, concluding their rounds before the 18th hole, as SJ won 5&4 while Levi won 4&3.

With the teams tied at two, everything came down to Abbey Daniel. The senior needed to play sudden death golf to win, but got it done on the 21st hole to clinch the match for State.

Mississippi State advanced to take on LSU in the semifinals later in the day after the Tigers defeated Ole Miss. Similar to the first round of the day, the trio of SJ, Daniel and Levi brought it home for the Bulldogs.

Levi continued her strong play from the quarterfinals with another elite performance, winning 5&4. SJ won by a score of 2UP (meaning she won by two strokes, but they still played the 18th hole), while Daniel won by a score of 1UP (meaning she won by a single stroke).

The Bulldogs will be making their second all-time appearance in the SEC Match Play Championship, both under the direction of head coach Charlie Ewing. Ewing guided the team to the championship round back in 2021 before falling to Auburn 3-0. The Bulldogs have never won the SEC Team Championship.

"It was a really long day, but it also doesn't feel that way because in the morning you don't know whether or not you'll play in the afternoon, you have to earn that afternoon tee time," Mississippi coach Charlie Ewing said. "You really have to just focus shot-by-shot and I thought our team did a really good job of that and staying patient and staying confident and never viewing themselves as an underdog.

"The competition was really stiff, LSU and Vanderbilt are fantastic teams. Just great credit to our team. It was definitely challenging, but it was great seeing the preparation that we have been putting in, specifically for moments like this, paid off today and we are looking forward to hopefully doing the same thing (Sunday)."