LAKE CHARLES, La. – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's tennis team took sole possession of first place in the Southland Conference with a 4-3 road victory over McNeese State Tuesday in Lake Charles, La.
RELATED: Results (pdf)
"This was a classic college tennis match between two warrior teams," Director of Tennis Steve Moore said after the win. "There was a great crowd, a great environment, and the girls showed great mental toughness. They embraced the road environment, rose up and encouraged each other non-stop for four and a half hours."
The Islanders (13-0, 4-0) got things started with doubles competition and it was Hortense Boscher and Alexandra Belle getting the Blue and Gree off on the right foot with a 6-0 win at the number three position.
Celia Rodriguez and Maider Martin then fought back at the number two doubles position and came back to win 7-6 and clinch the doubles point for the Islanders. A&M-Corpus Christi took the 1-0 lead into singles competition.
It was Martin who put the Islanders in front 2-0 when she cruised to a 6-2, 6-1 victory at number five singles. The Cowgirls (12-5, 5-1) fought back though, as Anastasija Trubich defeated Kerry Galhos 6-2, 6-1 at number six and Hannah Brett won 6-2, 6-3 against Rodriguez to tie the match at 2-2.
Jelena Dzinic then put the Islanders back in front with a tough win at the number two position over Julia Kral. After winning the first set 6-4, Dzinic battled to a 7-6 win in the second set to make it 3-2 in favor of A&M-Corpus Christi.
Playing at number one, Boscher clinched the match for the Islanders. After winning the first set 6-4, she found herself in a position to win it in the second set with four match point opportunities. She lost them all and went to a third set.
Boscher regrouped. She stayed tough.
Down 2-1 in the third and final set, she won five straight games to take it 6-2 and gave A&M-Corpus Christi the victory.
The Islanders are now in first place in the league standings all by themselves at 4-0 and are still a perfect 13-0 overall. The Blue and Green will be back in action this weekend, hosting Sam Houston State on Friday and Lamar on Saturday at the Thomas J. Henry Tennis Center.
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On the Islanders' determination:
"This was just an epic match. There were so many ups and downs and so many opportunities to say 'it was not my day,' and they just kept battling back and showing heart and showing character."
On battling a good McNeese team:
"I have a lot of respect for McNeese and the way they competed today. This was a fantastic college tennis match. I can't say enough about the character and champions heart of our girls. They are special."
On the mental toughness of both teams:
"There were match points for both teams in doubles and singles, and nobody quit. Nobody for us quit and nobody for McNeese quit. There was a lot of perseverance from a lot of college tennis players today."
