CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Two years ago, a pair of then sophomores helped Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's tennis earn its first ever trip to the NCAA Championships. Now seniors, co-captains Celia Rodriguez and Maider Martin have guided the Islanders back to the top prize in college tennis as the Blue and Green head to California to challenge one of the most prestigious teams in the nation in Stanford.
For the two seniors, the season has already been a dream to go out on. A 24-0 record. The only undefeated team in the country and the first in any sport on the Island.
"This season has been unbelievable," said Martin. "When I first got here, I would never have imagined that we would have a season like this in my senior year. It's been such a special season and I'm really excited and happy. This team is more like a family than a team. It goes beyond the court and I think that's why we've had such a great season and I hope that will carry over to the NCAAs."
Unbelievable. It's a fitting description for a team jumping 11 wins over the previous season and completing a feat rarely heard of in collegiate athletics.
It started with eight women in fall camp, a dedication to the Islander Way and a unique approach to college tennis that bonds the Islanders to each other, to the team.
Momentum built and a team turned into a family. Then January rolled around and with it the first dual matches of the season. The Islanders rolled through the opening month 3-0, outscoring opponents 20-1. February brought tougher tests, a neutral site matchup with UTEP – 6-1 Islanders. A road trip to Louisiana-Lafayette saw the Blue and Green dismantle the regional rival 4-0.
The calendar turned again and with it came the dawn of Southland Conference action. The Islanders welcome to conference play? A road trip to defending champion Northwestern State. A&M-Corpus Christi rallied back from the first doubles loss of the season to win 5-2.
A win at McNeese State followed. The Islanders were 13-0. Then another win came and another. A month and half later, the Islanders looked up and were 21-0, Southland Conference regular season champions.
Three matches in three days at the Southland Conference Tournament brought it to 24-0, including a pair of character wins once again over McNeese and Northwestern State. That landed the Islanders back on hallowed ground in a second trek to the NCAA Championships.
"I think it is something really special," said Martin of the opportunity to return to the NCAA Championships. "Only 64 teams have a chance to play in the NCAAs, so it is something very special. I mean, what a season. To stay undefeated the whole season means we are doing something right so we are just going to go there and do the same thing. We're going to fight like crazy and hopefully things go well."
No longer are the courts of the NCAA tournament a thing of dreams for the Islanders. Now the tune has changed. The Islanders have been there. Martin and Rodriguez have been there. It's a whole new level of expectations and the Blue and Green looks to build off the experience from 2014 at Baylor.
"I remember we were really excited because it was the first time," said Rodriguez of the Islanders' trip to Baylor two years ago. "We felt like we could have done a lot more if we weren't indoors and we had some bad luck. Now I think we're ready for it. We've been working even harder than two years ago. Stanford is a great team and we just have to play our game. That's something we didn't do two years ago and we've learned from that."
The sentiment of simply continuing what the Islanders have built all season – a culture of fighting, of winning – is echoed by her fellow co-captain. And why not, after all, the Islanders have completed one of, if not the, most historic season in school history.
"We've just got to stick to what we've been doing," said Martin. "We've been winning, so we have to keep doing those things and hopefully it pays off again."
Friday harkens no small task. The Islanders will face the No. 15 national seed Stanford. Arguably the most prestigious women's tennis program in history, the Cardinal are 17-time NCAA champions, last winning the title in 2013.
It's a daunting opponent but don't expect the Islanders to back down for a second, it's not in their culture.
"We have nothing to lose, no pressure," said Rodriguez. "We're just going to give it everything. That's all I expect, that the team and I give all we have. We only have one chance. That's my expectations – that everyone fight and give everything."
Regardless of the outcome on The Farm Friday afternoon, Rodriguez and Martin will exit two of the greatest Islanders in program history. The duo will be remembered as two of the three winningest players in program history, members of the first ever NCAA appearance and now the captains who guided the Islanders to their first perfect season.
Perhaps Friday they can add another first – an NCAA Tournament win.
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