Islanders Cruise past Cowgirls

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Climbing into a tie for second place in the Southland Conference, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi rolled to a 5-2 victory over McNeese Friday afternoon at the Thomas J. Henry Tennis Center.
 
"McNeese is a very tough team that we have a ton of respect for," said Director of Tennis Steve Moore. "This has been a great rivalry over the years and they've built a very strong program at McNeese.They always have a team that plays tough and smart. This was a battle today and we just paid our dues, chopped wood and grinded out a very tough victory.
 
"We have to get better at a lot of things," continued Moore. "I know this is the type of team we'll see in the conference tournament. Hopefully, we improve some things and get a little better at maxing out the things we can control, but in the end I'm proud of this group for rising up and winning against a tough Southland rival."
 
The Islanders (10-2, 4-1) jumped out to an early lead thanks to strong play in doubles. A&M-Corpus Christi picked up victories on courts two and three to clinch the doubles point.
 
Louise Trigona and Marina Vicens Miquel were the first to earn a victory in doubles play. The second duo in the Islanders order, Trigona and Vicens Miquel pushed past Charoline Erlandsson and Vivien Borbely in 6-2 fashion. Moments later, the French pairing of Hortense Boscher and Alexandra Belle clinched the victory at three. The pairing knocked off Giovanna Fioretti and Stella Carra in 6-3 fashion to take a 1-0 lead.
 
Moving on to singles play, Vicens Miquel quickly made it a 2-0 lead for the Blue and Green. Playing in the sixth spot, the Islander cruised to a 6-1, 7-6 (1) victory to open singles action.  Freshman Maria Maldonado was the second to finish off her match. In the fifth spot of the order, Maldonado topped Phonexay Chitadara by a 6-1, 6-3 final.
 
With a 3-0 lead, it was Judit Vives who clinched the match for the Islanders. The senior rallied back for a 7-5 victory in the first set before earning a 6-4 decision in the second. The straight set victory ensured the Islanders their fourth Southland victory of the season.
 
Playing out the remaining matches, Louise Trigona and Hortense Boscher suffered tough defeats. Trigona fell in a tight 6-4, 7-5 decision while Boscher dropped a three-set decision.
 
Jelena Dzinic finished the day off with a commanding third set to earn a win at number two.  Dzinic's match finished 6-2, 4-6, 6-0.
 
BACK AT HOME
 
The Islanders return to action Wednesday afternoon at the Thomas J. Henry Tennis Center as they host UTSA.