Islanders Rally, Move into First

NEW ORLEANS – On the road in a tight Southland Conference, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi men's and women's tennis battled back from early holes to defeat New Orleans 4-3 on the women's side and 5-2 in men's action. The pair of victories propelled each of the Islander teams into first place in the league.
 
"This conference is getting tougher and tougher," said Director of Tennis Steve Moore. "We left with two road wins today against a very high-quality opponent. I'm very proud of this team."

 

WOMEN FIGHT BACK FOR FIRST

 

Sunday started all New Orleans as the Privateers jumped to a 1-0 lead with a win in doubles play. The Privateers propelled the momentum in four first sets in singles play and built a 3-1 advantage on the scoreboard.
 
The Islanders (12-2, 5-1) did not go away. On the road against a strong New Orleans squad, Corpus Christi had enough for the answer. In a match which last four hours and change, the Blue and Green clawed out victories in three of the day's four matches that went to a third set.
 
After the early deficit, Louise Trigona gave the Blue and Green a foothold, winning 6-4, 7-6 at the fourth spot of the order. Trigona battled her way to a 7-5 tiebreak in the second set to clinch her match.
 
Still, the Islanders were forced to fight from behind all-day as New Orleans continued to apply the pressure with wins at one and two.
 
In yet another three-set match, Maria Maldonado gave the Islanders their second point. Playing at five, Maldonado earned a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 victory over Yasmine Richard to spark the big rally.
 
Following Maldonado, Marina Vicens Miquel rallied all the way back from a first set loss at six. After falling 5-7 in the first, Vicens Miquel won a nail-biting second set with a 7-3 tiebreak before capitalizing on the momentum for a 6-3 win in the third.
 
That turned all eyes to court three where senior Judit Vives pulled off a three-set rally of her own to clinch the victory. Vives dropped a 1-6 opening set to Anna Segarra Rius before a 7-5 set leveled the match. Again, Vives made the most of the momentum from the tight second-set win and earned a 6-2 victory in the third.
 
The victory moves the Islanders to 12-2 on the season and 5-1 in Southland Conference play. Corpus Christi also claimed sole possession of first place in the league with the win.

 

MEN MOVE TO 2-0

 
Facing an early deficit of their own after New Orleans claimed the doubles point to start the day, the Islander men quickly tagged three singles victories to start the rally.
 
UNO used a 6-4 win at number two doubles and a 6-3 win at the third pairing to claim the first point of the day.
 
After the five-minute break, the Islanders quickly flipped the script as freshman William Mottet sparked the rally with a straight-set victory at three. Mottet picked up his 12th win of the season with a 6-1, 6-2 roll of Federico Staksrud.
 
Carlos Pedrosa followed just after at five. The sophomore cruised past Luis Albuquerque in 6-1, 6-1 fashion to give the Islanders the lead. From there, two seniors clinched the match for the Blue and Green.
 
Paul Cook made it three quick victories in singles for the Islanders. The veteran extended the lead to 3-1 with his 6-3, 6-2 victory over Nicolas Kramer in the four spot.
 
The remaining three matches all went three sets, but it was Kevin Bettendroffer who would clinch. The senior rallied after dropping the first set to Jeffrey Hsu to win 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 at the top spot. Gonzalo Achondo would add a fifth point for the Islanders with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 win in the sixth spot.
 
With the victory, the Islanders improve to 2-0 in the Southland and move into a three-way tie for first.

 

MOORE QUOTES

 
On women's win…
"Heart, guts and character. What a battle today was. New Orleans is a very good team and played well enough to win today. I'm so proud of our girls for choosing to compete like warriors and fighting until the end. UNO came out with great doubles and took all the momentum and we never went away."
 
On women's comeback…
"We just kept chopping wood and got tremendous leadership and hear today. We've talked all year about how our fitness, discipline and hard work will pay off in April. I think our girls were very confident today as the match got longer and longer."
 
On men's victory…
"We dug a hole for ourselves but these guys have tremendous pride and character. They really clawed back and grinded. Again, I feel our fitness was a big advantage for us after the match hit the three-hour mark. I'm proud of these guys for their hard work and the way the young guys continue to grow and the seniors are leading. It's a pretty special combo to be around."
 
On men's response to doubles loss…
"The way we bounced back after losing doubles and immediately put three quick points on the board shows how tough and motivated this group is."

 

UP NEXT

 
The Islander women head to Southeastern Louisiana for a Monday showdown before both teams return to Corpus Christi next weekend.