Tennis Opens 2017 With Two Midweek Matches

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The 2017 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi tennis season opens with a pair of midweek matches as the Islanders host Prairie View Tuesday before traveling to UTRGV for the South Texas Showdown presented by NavyArmy Community Credit Union on Wednesday.
 
Both the Islanders men's and women's teams will open the season at home on the courts of the Thomas J. Henry Tennis Center Tuesday afternoon at 2 p.m.  Admission to all home matches is free once again in 2017.
 
The Islanders are opening the season against Prairie View for the second consecutive season. In last year's meeting, the men won 6-0 and 7-0 while the women also swept the Panthers by a 7-0 score.
 
SOUTH TEXAS SHOWDOWN
 
The South Texas Showdown presented by NavyArmy Community Credit Union continues Wednesday as the Islanders and Vaqueros meet for the first of two clashes this spring.
 
Both the men and women will travel to the valley to face UTRGV as the Islanders aim to reclaim the lead in the season series. Currently, UTRGV leads 17-14 with each tennis match worth two points in the series.
 
The Islanders men and women swept a pair of meetings with the Vaqueros in the 2016 season.
 
A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE
 
The Islanders are aiming to continue a decade of national acclaim, as the Blue and Green has won 10 Southland Conference Championships, reached eight NCAA Championships and appeared in the national rankings for 10 straight seasons.
 
The Islander men have climbed into the top 40 of Division I programs three times in the last decade, while the women were the only team to finish the regular season undefeated in 2016.
 
RELOADING
 
The men reloaded their roster with highly-touted newcomers in Cagatay Soke, who was ranked 132nd in the ITF World Junior Rankings, and Gonzalo Achondo, who had two ATP points. The Islanders also added senior transfer Biyik Akinshemoyin, the Maryland high school state champion and a starter for Division I Maryland-Baltimore County. The women added Louise Trigona and Maria Maldonado, who also came with high world and national rankings.
 
STAY SOCIAL
 
For all the latest information and updates on Islanders Tennis in 2017, follow the Blue and Green on Facebook (IslandersTennis) and Twitter (@IslandersTennis).