Women Clinch Share of Southland Title

ABILENE, Texas – For a second consecutive season, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's tennis will claim at least a share of the Southland Conference Championship after the Islanders rallied for a 4-3 win at Abilene Christian Wednesday night.

While the women celebrated a thrilling 4-3 victory, the men suffered a heartbreaking 4-3 defeat to the Wildcats, marking just the sixth conference loss in the last 75 Southland matches for the Islanders.

WOMEN CLINCH SHARE OF SLC

The Islander women found themselves buried in a 2-0 hole right out of the gate against the second-place Wildcats.

ACU raced to a quick win in doubles, using a 6-2 win at number one and 6-1 at two to jumpstart the home crowd. The Wildcats would build upon that start with a 6-0, 6-2 win at the number three singles spot to make it 2-0.

The conference-leading Islanders did not blink. Instead, the Blue and Green rallied all the way back for a thrilling 4-3 victory. Three of the Islanders' four points came in three-set nail-biters.

'I am unbelievably proud of the resiliency, toughness and pride of this women's team," said Director of Tennis Steve Moore. "Abilene is so tough to play at home. They had a great crowd and fought very hard. We lost doubles and another match quickly to go down 0-2, but we never gave up. These girls fought back and won the hard way."
 
Marina Vicens Miquel started the rally with a 6-0, 7-5 victory at number six. The win kept Vicens Miquel undefeated in Southland Conference action and gave the Islanders a foothold in the match. The sophomore's two-set win proved to be the only straight-set victory for the Islanders on the night, as the remaining three points went the distance.
 
Two freshman, Louise Trigona and Maria Maldonado would strike next for the Islanders. Trigona claimed a 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 victory at the number four spot. Maldonado also bookended her match with set victories, winning 6-0 in the first before a 2-6 setback in the second set the stage for a 6-3 win in the third.
 
While the two freshman picked up wins to give the Islanders three points, ACU earned a 6-3, 6-3 win at number two to make the match all-level at 3-3. That turned all eyes to the top of the order, where Hortense Boscher and Erin Walker were locked in a third-set battle.
 
Boscher rolled to a 6-0 victory in the opening set, but fell by the slimmest of margins in a 6-7 second set. The junior stayed poised, rallying back for a 6-4 victory to clinch the match and a share of the Southland title.
 
MEN SUFFER 4-3 SETBACK
 
On senior night for ACU, the Wildcats managed to defeat the Islanders for the very first time with a 4-3 battle that raged for over five hours.
 
"First of all big respect and congratulations to Abilene," said Moore. "They fought incredibly hard on senior day. Abilene deserves all the credit. This was a dogfight for 5 hours and they won a heck of a college tennis match tonight. It was a well-deserved win.
 
"I believe in this young team," continued Moore. "They will get better and better. We will be there at the end when it counts. I believe that with all my heart."
 
Playing with three true freshmen and a sophomore in the top six of the lineup, the Islanders came up just short against the Wildcats in a razor-thin match.
 
The night started well for the Islanders as Paul Cook and Cagatay Soke teamed up for a 6-3 win on court two in doubles play. That gave the Blue and Green the opportunity to clinch the doubles point as both remaining doubles matches slogged to a 6-6 deadlock. Kevin Bettendroffer and William Mottet would edge out the Wildcats' top pair, earning a 7-6 win to give the Islanders a 1-0 lead.
 
In singles play, ACU would rally with four victories to become just the sixth loss in the last 11 years of Southland play for the Islanders.
 
Paul Cook and Carlos Pedrosa highlighted the singles effort for the Islanders, both earning straight-set victories. Cook earned a 6-4, 6-4 win over Hunter Holman at the fourth spot in the order while Pedrosa Cuevas picked up a hard-fought 6-1, 7-5 win at number five to bring the Islanders' point total to three.
 
ACU, however, countered with a 7-5, 6-4 win at the top spot and a 6-4, 6-4 win at number three to build its momentum. Cagatay Soke suffered a narrow 7-5, 7-6 setback at the number two spot as the Wildcats drew level in the match.
 
That left the number six match as the lone contest still in play. It was a battle of epic proportions.
 
The first set would go down to the wire, but freshman Gonzalo Achondo was edged out by a 7-5 margin. As if the opening set was not enough, the second was even closer. Achondo forced a tiebreak at six-all. The tiebreak would go to extras, but the Islander fell 8-6 as ACU clinched the match.
 
Despite the setback, the Islanders can still earn a share of the Southland Conference regular season title with a win on Senior Day versus Lamar. The Islanders and Cardinals are set for a 2 p.m. clash Friday at the Thomas J. Henry Tennis Center. The first 75 fans in attendance will receive free snapback hats while free pizza will also be provided.