Men Aim for Title on Senior Day

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Everything is in front of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi men's tennis as the Islanders return home Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. for Senior Day against Lamar. The Islanders can clinch a share of the Southland Conference title with a victory.
 
A win would mark the 10th time in the past 11 years the Blue and Green has claimed at least a share of the Southland title. The Blue and Green is looking to bounce back from their only Southland defeat of the season, a 4-3 heartbreaker at Abilene Christian on Wednesday night.
 
The first 75 fans to the match will receive a free Islanders snapback hat. All in attendance will also be treated to free pizza while supplies last.
 
The Islanders and Cardinals are no stranger to matches of this magnitude. For each of the past four seasons, the two sides have met in the Southland Conference Tournament Championship. The Islanders have taken three of those four meetings, but Lamar claimed the most recent a year ago.
 
Corpus Christi will also be recognizing five seniors on Friday afternoon. Kevin Bettendroffer, Mitchell Cook, Paul Cook, Trevor Gittinger and Maximilian Ilic are all playing their final home match as an Islander against the Cardinals.
 
In four years on the Island, the group has helped the Islanders to 68 wins, a pair of Southland Conference titles and two NCAA Tournament appearances.
 
Admission to Friday's showdown at the Thomas J. Henry Tennis Center is free of charge. The Islanders will follow the match by heading to the Southland Conference Tournament, hosted by Lamar, in Beaumont. Men's play opens on Saturday with the Islanders assured to be no lower than the two seed.