CORPUS CHRISTI – The Texas A&M - Corpus Christi women's tennis team breezed to a 5-2 victory over Southeastern Louisiana today to secure its first Southland Conference win of the season at the Southeastern Tennis Complex.
"I'm proud of these girls commitment to stay tough and keep their spirit and moral high," Director of Tennis Steve Moore said. "This group has tremendous character and I love the way they competed today. We played a very tough and well-coached Southeastern Louisiana team that is extra tough at home. I think our girls deserve a lot of credit for the gritty way they competed today."
The Islanders (7-6, 1-2 SLC) opened with a strong start in doubles play to take an early 1-0 lead. The sophomore duo of Judit Vives and Kerry Galhos downed the Lions' (8-3, 3-2 SLC) Natalie Duran and Madina Vorotnikova, 8-3, at No. 3 doubles to start things off. The junior pair of Maider Martin and Celia Rodriguez then snapped a string of three losses with a close 8-6 victory over Lucia Bustamante and Renee Villarreal in the No. 1 slot to clinch the point.
The Islanders kept the momentum rolling into singles play, securing three straight to clinch the match. Martin won her ninth match at No. 4 singles with a 6-1, 6-1, win over Margaux Kaltenbacher. A&M - Corpus Christi secured its third point of the day after Rodriguez defeated Bustamente, 6-3, 6-2 to improve to 6-0 at No. 3 singles. Freshman Jelena Dzinic then followed suit with a 6-4, 6-3 straight-set victory over Anna Bryukhova at No. 2 singles to clinch the match.
Southeastern picked up straight-set wins at No. 1 singles and No. 6 singles after Villarreal topped Vives, 6-4, 6-3 in the No. 1 slot, and Chelsea Horan lost a three-setter to Vorotnikova at No. 6 singles.
Galhos capped off the match for the Islanders with a thrilling straight-set win over Dany Raygadas for her sixth win of the season at No. 5 singles. The sophomore secured a 6-3 first-set win before edging out Raygadas 7-6 (2) in a second-set tiebreaker.
The Islanders will now team up with the men's team to take on New Orleans tomorrow starting at 1 p.m. The Privateers enter the match with a 9-6 record, including a 2-3 record in SLC play.
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.
Tennis Match Results
Texas A&M - Corpus Christi vs. Southeastern Louisiana
3/23/2015 at Hammond, La.
Texas A&M - Corpus Christi 5, Southeastern Louisiana 2
Singles competition
1. Renee Villarreal (SLU) def. Judit Vives (AMCC) 6-4, 6-3
2. Jelena Dzinic (AMCC) def. Anna Bryukhova (SLU) 6-4, 6-3
3. Celia Rodriguez (AMCC) def. Lucia Bustamante (SLU) 6-3, 6-2
4. Maider Martin (AMCC) def. Margaux Kaltenbacher (SLU) 6-1, 6-1
5. Kerry Galhos (AMCC) def. Dany Raygadas (SLU) 6-3, 7-6 (7-2)
6. Madina Vorotnikova (SLU) def. Chelsea Horan (AMCC) 2-6, 6-1, 10-3
Doubles competition
1. Maider Martin/Celia Rodriguez (AMCC) def. Lucia Bustamante/Renee Villarreal (SLU) 8-6
2. Margaux Kaltenbacher/Dany Raygadas (SLU) vs. Jelena Dzinic/Chelsea Horan (AMCC) 6-7, unfinished
3. Kerry Galhos/Judit Vives (AMCC) def. Natalie Duran/Madina Vorotnikova (SLU) 8-3
Match Notes:
Texas A&M - Corpus Christi 7-6, 1-2 SLC
Southeastern Louisiana 8-3, 3-2 SLC
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (4,3,2,1,6,5)
