CORPUS CHRISTI – The Texas A&M - Corpus Christi No. 40 ranked men's tennis team breezed to a 4-0 victory over Nicholls today in their fourth match in three days. The Islanders (13-5, 2-0 SLC) secured the doubles point before winning three straight-set singles matches to earn their second Southland Conference win of the season at the Thomas J. Henry Tennis Center.
"Nicholls is a tough team and that match was a battle," Director of Tennis Steve Moore said. "It was much closer than the score. I really respect their team, and their coach and we had to fight our tails off today. They came here to battle and they forced us to battle as hard as we could. These guys have played a lot in the last few days and this is what it takes to go deep in the NCAA Tournament and that is our goal, so I told them we don't apologize for these matches so close together.
"I'm proud of these guys because they are seeing challenges, they are rising up, and not looking up for the parachute cord to bail out. They are staying in the boat and rowing harder even when it's going upstream. I really like the character of these guys."
In doubles play, the freshman-senior tandem of Arthur Bedel and Peter Nagy defeated the Colonels' (7-8, 1-2 SLC) pair of Partha Adavelly and Lukas Clemens, 8-4, in No. 1 doubles for their second consecutive win. The duo of Ricardo Mayagoitia and Paul Cook then teamed up for an 8-4 win over Evan Karatzas and Sam Meessen in No. 3 doubles to clinch the point.
The reigning Southland Conference regular season and tournament champions kept things rolling into singles play as No. 70 ranked Nagy quickly gave the Islanders a two-point cushion. The senior downed Adavelly 6-0, 6-1 in No. 1 singles to improve his career mark to 17-1 in the Southland. Nagy also improved his dual-match record to 14-2 this season in the No. 1 slot and he has won nine of his last 10 matches.
Sophomore Kevin Bettendroffer extended the Islanders lead to 3-0 after cruising to a 6-2, 6-2 win over Clemens at No. 2 singles. The sophomore has been remarkable as of late, winning four straight to improve his mark to 9-4 in the No. 2 slot.
The Islanders then clinched the match after Javier Pujol edged out Kieran Cronin in No. 5 singles. The junior squeezed out a 7-6 (5) first-set tiebreaker win before earning a 6-2 win in the second set to secure the match.
The Islanders will remain at home to host Lamar on Tuesday, April 7, at 2 p.m. at the Thomas J. Henry Tennis Center.
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
Nicholls vs. Texas A&M - Corpus Christi
3/30/2015 at Corpus Christi, Texas
#40 Texas A&M - Corpus Christi 4, Nicholls 0
Singles competition
1. #70 Peter Nagy (AMCC) def. Partha Adavelly (NICM) 6-0, 6-1
2. Kevin Bettendroffer (AMCC) def. Lukas Clemens (NICM) 6-2, 6-2
3. Ricardo Mayagoitia (AMCC) vs. Evan Karatzas (NICM) 6-4, 1-3, unfinished
4. Guillaume Rauseo (AMCC) vs. Bernard Wezeman (NICM) 6-3, 4-6, 2-3, unfinished
5. Javier Pujol (AMCC) def. Kieran Cronin (NICM) 7-6 (7-5), 6-2
6. Paul Cook (AMCC) vs. Sam Meessen (NICM) 4-6, 3-3, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. Peter Nagy/Arthur Bedel (AMCC) def. Partha Adavelly/Lukas Clemens (NICM) 8-4
2. Kevin Bettendroffer/Guillaume Rauseo (AMCC) vs. Kieran Cronin/Bernard Wezeman (NICM) 5-6, unfinished
3. Ricardo Mayagoitia/Paul Cook (AMCC) def. Evan Karatzas/Sam Meessen (NICM) 8-4
Match Notes:
Nicholls 7-8, 1-2 SLC
Texas A&M - Corpus Christi 13-5, 2-0 SLC; National ranking #40
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (1,2,5)
