CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – It wasn't always pretty as gusty winds led to less than ideal playing conditions, but Texas A&M-Corpus Christi men's and women's tennis teams persevered to continue their perfect start to the season by defeating University of Maryland Baltimore County Friday at the Thomas J. Henry Tennis Center.
The men won a pair of matches, playing a doubleheader against the Retrievers while the women took their lone match against visiting UMBC.
MEN'S MATCH ONE: No. 61 Islanders 4 – UMBC 2
The morning match saw the worst of the winds as the Islanders and Retrievers fought against a 20 mph breeze which wreaked havoc on volleys all morning long. The match also saw the Islanders tiptoe dangerously close to the brink of defeat.
The teams opened play with singles and junior Kevin Bettendroffer was the first to earn a result, rolling in his first match of the season, 6-2, 6-3, at the No. 1 spot for the Islanders. The veteran showed little rust after sitting out the opener on Monday to rest a slight injury.
Things were seemingly on track for the Islanders to roll on to an easy victory, with the Blue and Green leading on four of the six courts and Arthur Bedel locking up the second point of the match with a 6-2, 6-1 decision over Kevin Hsieh at No. 6. From there, things took an about face and the match turned to an all out war.
UMBC's Eliott Loubatie earned the Retrievers a point at No. 4 by knocking off Javier Pujol in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3. Shortly thereafter, Melker Svard rallied after dropping the first set to defeat Guillaume Rauseo in second set tiebreak, 7-6 (4). In the third set, Svard swept all the momentum with a 6-0 win, leveling the match.
At that point, the Islanders and Retrievers sat 2-2, with UMBC leading the other two matches. Yet, the Islanders would not go away.
Paul Cook ignited the rally that would lead to an Islanders victory by winning a thriller at No. 5 in three sets. After a 6-1 win in the first set, Cook was forced to the third by Biyik Akinshemoyin with a 6-2 second set. The Retriever then opened a 4-0 lead, burying Cook in a seemingly insurmountable hole. But comeback Cook did, as the Islander quickly erased the deficit to for a decisive tiebreak. In the tiebreak, Cook made sure he was the aggressor, taking the opening three points en route to a 7-3 victory.
That left the Islanders one point shy of victory with Ricardo Mayagoitia playing the final singles match. Mayagoitia was locked in a grinding battle with UMBC's Justin Carter, who raced out to a 4-0 lead in the first set and jumped ahead with a 6-3 set. The Islanders senior capitalized on some late momentum after battling back in the first set to rebound with a 6-3 second set victory. With the crowd gathered around court No. 2, Mayagoitia and Carter traded blows, going game-for-game before Mayagoitia clinched the victory with a 7-5 win in the third.
Qoute of the Match…
"We're a blue collar team and we certainly won in blue collared fashion today." – Director of Tennis Steve Moore
MEN'S MATCH TWO: No. 61 Islanders 4 – UMBC 0
Following the close call in the first match, head coach Steve Moore wanted his squad to come out with more fire and energy. Safe to say, the Islanders received the message as the Blue and Green swept their way past UMBC 4-0.
The tone was set in doubles as the Islanders earned the point with quick wins on courts two and three. The duo of Mitchell Cook and Paul Cook were strong in routing Hsieh/Akinshemoyin 6-1 at No. 3. With both remaining pairings leading, it was Mayagoitia and Rauseo who won the race to clinch the doubles point for the Blue and Green, winning their match 6-4.
Continuing his strong form the morning match and doubles play, Paul Cook raced to a 6-1, 6-1, victory to carry the Islanders momentum into singles action. Meanwhile at No. 1, Bettendroffer made quick work of Justin Carter with a 6-4, 6-0, win to put the Islanders within one point of the sweep.
It was senior Javier Pujol who would do the honors, clinching the sweep with his 6-2, 6-2, victory at No. 3, rebounding from his loss in the morning. The pair of wins for the Islanders improved the Blue and Green to 4-0 on the season.
WOMEN'S MATCH: Islanders 7 – UMBC 0
Perhaps taking a cue from the men's slow start in the first match, the women made sure to be full throttle from the first serve.
The Islanders quickly finished off the doubles point with a pair of 6-2 wins. The all-French duo of Hortense Boscher and Alexandra Belle looked strong in the first action together, rolling past the Retrievers' Madlena Kurasz and Alice Taylor. One court over, seniors Celia Rodriguez and Maider Martin clinched the point with a victory over Shannon Cleary and Laura Ambrozic.
In singles play, the Islanders won the first set on five of six courts. Transfer Hortense Boscher, playing in her first dual with the Islanders, was the first to end her match. Playing at No. 2, Boscher went 6-1, 6-1, past Kurasz. A few minutes later, Judit Vives made it 3-0 Islanders with her 6-3, 6-0 win. Vives completed her victory with a little flair, winning 12 straight games after a slow start in the first set.
Kerry Galhos clinched the match for the Blue and Green with her 6-2, 6-1 win on court six versus Ambrozic.
The Islanders and Retrievers would play out the remaining singles points and A&M-Corpus Christi did not let up. Jelena Dzinic won the No. 1 matchup 6-0, 6-2, in a match that featured several long rallies. Next to finish was Martin who rallied after dropping the first set 2-6 to earn a hard-fought victory with 6-2 and 6-3 wins in the second and third set, respectively. Finally, it was Rodriguez who sealed up the perfect 7-0 result with her 6-4, 6-2 win on court four.
THE 300 CLUB
With the men's win in the morning match, Director of Tennis Steve Moore earned his 300th career win as a head coach. Moore started the Islanders program from scratch in 1998 and is in his second tenure with A&M-Corpus Christi, while spending five seasons at SMU and Texas A&M in the interim.
WHAT THEY SAID
Paul Cook on his third set rally…
"It was a tough day overall and UMBC fought really hard. The conditions were really, really tough. In the third when I was down 4-0, there was always that self-belief and sense that this is your home; you want to play and fight to the very end. The support from the other guys and the girls really pushed it over the top and gave me the extra bit of energy to complete the comeback."
On winning 4-0 in match two…
"I think it all started with the doubles. We came out really strong in the doubles, playing with a lot of energy and that was great. After our team talk, we had to reenergize ourselves and continue to fight and we were able to do just that. In the end it was a great result.
Hortense Boscher on her first dual-match…
"I had to sit out on Monday because coach wanted me to rest, so I was watching the girls and that made me even more excited to play today. I felt good today. I felt like my serve, backhand and forehand were there."
On what makes team go…
"This team is unbelievable. We are all really close and the girls are always very motivating. We work so hard and every girl is fighting for each other all the time so I think we are set for a good season."
Coach Steve Moore on learning lessons and winning…
"I told the team between matches, you're either winning or you're learning and usually when you're learning a lot, that means you lost. We're very fortunate to have learned a lot and be able to eek out a win. Usually, that one goes against you. So we learned a lot about having to bring it even more on these cold, windy days. We're all human and some days, you just don't have it and today we realized we have to pump each other up and encourage each other to bring the tenacity and use footwork to fight through."
On men responding in second match…
"The guys came out and made a statement. We take a lot of pride in our fitness and resiliency. They really got pushed hard and kind of got the aquavelva splash in the first match. Our team is based on character and hard work and I thought they showed a lot of character to come out and compete in a very focused manner in the second match."
On the women's 7-0 win…
"We're incredibly excited about this team. Their character, talent and how hard they work is impressive. For Hortense, this was her first match and she came out and showed a lot of spirit. I thought Judit and Jelena were very good today, especially with Judit winning 12-straight games after a bit of a slow start. This is a team that's going to be very exciting to watch."
UP NEXT
The Islanders complete a busy weekend on Sunday by hosting the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley at 1 p.m. Both men's and women's teams will be in action against the Vaqueros at the Thomas J. Henry Tennis Center. Admission to all tennis matches is free.
