March 10, 2015

No. 69 Men's Tennis Edges UTA 4-3, Women Fall 4-2 to Mavs

ARLINGTON, Texas – The Texas A&M - Corpus Christi men's and women's tennis teams battled UT Arlington today in non-conference action at the UTA Tennis Center. The duo of Guillaume Rauseo and Kevin Bettendroffer clinched the doubles point to lift the No. 69 ranked Islanders men's team (8-3) to a 4-3 victory, while the women's team (6-4) fell 4-2 to the Mavericks.

"I'm proud of the courage our team showed today," Director of Tennis Steve Moore said. "UT Arlington is so tough at home, and we just battled, and battled and never gave up. It was an incredible college tennis match, and both teams really deserved to win. Both matches were very similar. Our teams just fought and never gave up. One went our way and the other didn't, but I am proud of both."

Both matches started with singles play and the men's team went neck-and-neck with the Mavericks (6-4). The Mavericks garnered the first match of the day in No. 5 singles after Carlos Arbiza topped junior Javier Pujol, 6-4, 6-3. The Islanders quickly answered back after freshman Arthur Bedel edged out Daniel Echeverry, 6-0, 3-6, 6-1 in a three-set thriller. The Islanders and Mavs then traded matches to knot the score at 2-2. Johnathan Gonzalez defeated sophomore Kevin Bettendroffer in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2, at No. 2 singles before senior Peter Nagy who is ranked at No. 73 in the ITA singles rankings downed Sebastian Erimicioiu, 6-2, 6-4 in the No. 1 slot. With the win Nagy improved his dual-match mark in the No. 1 spot to 8-1.

The Islanders then pushed ahead, 3-2, after Rauseo garnered a three-setter at No. 4 singles. The junior squeezed past Mario Muniesa, 7-6 (1), 4-6, 7-6 (1) for the Islanders' third point of the match. Next, Daniel Armengol topped junior Ricardo Mayagoitia at No. 3 singles to force doubles play. Mayagoitia took the first set, 6-1, before falling 6-2 in the second set and 6-4 in the third set.

In doubles play, the Islanders grinded their way to victory. The duo of Mayagoitia and Paul Cook took care of business with an 8-1 victory at No. 3 doubles over Erimicioiu and Stefan Williams. A&M - Corpus Christi then clinched the match after Bettendroffer and Rauseo secured their third consecutive dual-match together at No. 2 doubles with an 8-4 thrilling victory over Muniesa and Armengol to clinch the match.

The men picked up the win after receiving their first ITA national ranking of the year at No. 69. It marks the ninth straight year the Islanders men's program has been ranked in the national published poll.

"That is something we are very proud of but what is most fulfilling about that is the guts and grit that these guys have put in to make that happen," Moore said. "This is a group of guys that are all about family, team and committing like warriors. This team has stepped up and respected what their brothers have done in the past and have kept the standard high."

The women's team (6-4) fell in singles play after the Mavs (7-3) secured four singles matches. The Islanders picked up singles wins on courts four and five with three-set wins but the Mavs were able to capture straight-set victories on the other four courts to garner the win.

Sophomore Judit Vives dropped a 6-2, 6-3 loss to Elizabeth Thoms in No. 1 singles to start the day before freshman Jelena Dzinic fell to Augustina Serio, 6-4, 6-1. The Mavs then padded their lead to 3-0 after junior Celia Rodriguez suffered her second loss of the season at No. 2 singles with a 6-5, 6-4 loss to Angeles de los Rios. The Islanders then tacked up their first win of the day after Maider Martin rose up and defeated Jessica Birowski in a three-setter. The junior cruised to a 6-0 first-set win before falling 7-5 in the second. In the third, she breezed to a 6-0 victory to put the Islanders on the board. UT Arlington then clinched the match after senior Chelsea Horan fell to Christine Foote, 7-5, 6-3 at No. 6 singles. When the match was clinched, Kerry Galhos was battling Ekaterina Tugarinova and secured a three-set win at No. 5 singles. She dropped the first set 7-5, before battling her way back to seal a 6-2 second-set win. In the third, Galhos fought her way to a 7-5 victory for the Islanders' second point of the match.

The Islanders will now return to the Thomas J. Henry Tennis Center on Saturday, March 14. The men will host No. 60 South Alabama at 10 a.m. while the women's team will open Southland Conference play against Stephen F. Austin at 11 a.m.

For all the latest on Islanders Tennis, like the team on Facebook (IslandersTennis) and follow them on Twitter and Instagram (@IslandersTennis). Fans can also receive updates on both teams by downloading the Islanders Front Row App at GoIslanders.com/frontrow.

Men's Tennis Match Results

Texas A&M - Corpus Christi vs. UT Arlington

3/10/2015 at Arlington, Texas

#69 Texas A&M - Corpus Christi 4, UT Arlington 3

Singles competition

1. Peter Nagy (AMCC) def. Sebastian Erimicioiu (UTA) 6-2, 6-4

2. Johnathan Gonzalez (UTA) def. Kevin Bettendroffer (AMCC) 6-2, 6-2

3. Daniel Armengol (UTA) def. Ricardo Mayagoitia (AMCC) 1-6, 6-2, 6-4

4. Guillaume Rauseo (AMCC) def. Mario Muniesa (UTA) 7-6 (7-1), 4-6, 7-6 (7-1)

5. Carlos Arbiza (UTA) def. Javier Pujol (AMCC) 6-4, 6-3

6. Arthur Bedel (AMCC) def. Daniel Echeverry (UTA) 6-0, 3-6, 6-1

Doubles competition