THIBODAUX, La. – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi men's tennis team won its 24th straight match against a Southland Conference opponent – a streak that dates back to early 2013 – defeating Nicholls by a score of 5-2 Wednesday in Thibodaux.
RELATED: Results (pdf)
The Islanders are 55-3 against Southland Conference competition since Director of Tennis Steve Moore took over on the Island in 2006 and are an undefeated 24-0 since 2013. The men's tennis program has been nationally ranked each of the last 10 seasons, made seven NCAA Tournament appearances, and has been the Southland regular season champion eight years in a row.
"I think the first thing to acknowledge is that every team in this conference is going to be tough on the road," Moore said after Wednesday's match. "It's always going to be a battle like this on the road. If you don't bring it, you will get beat."
The Islanders were able to clinch the doubles point with wins at the number one and number two position. Kevin Bettendroffer and Arthur Bedel won 6-2 and number one, while Ricardo Mayagoitia and Guillaume Rauseo won 6-2 at number two to give the Blue and Green the early lead.
"I thought that our senior leaders set the tone," Moore said. "Ricky had a tough matchup, but he battled through. Kevin got us on the board quickly and Arthur played a tough, focused match. He's maturing."
Bettendroffer was the first to finish in singles. The reigning Southland Conference Player of the Week won 6-4, 6-1 at number one to make it 2-0. Javier Pujol then won 6-2, 6-0 at number three and Bedel was victorious 6-2, 6-4 at number five to clinch the match for the Islanders.
The Colonels fought back and won at the number six and four positions, before Mayagoitia closed it out with a 6-4, 6-7 (4), 10-5 victory at number two to make the final score 5-2 in favor of A&M-Corpus Christi.
The Islanders will return to action on Monday when they return to the Thomas J. Henry Tennis Center to host visiting Abilene Christian at 2 p.m.
"They're a team that is going to come and fight hard," Moore said of ACU. "We just have to be ready and bring it. If you come out with superior intensity, every guy, every point, then you can pull these matches out. It comes down to our players making choice to fight every point, not with words, but with actions."
