Women Win Second Straight Southland Title

WACO, Texas – For a second consecutive season, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's tennis is the Southland Conference regular season champion after clinching the title with a 4-2 win against second-place Central Arkansas in Waco.
 
Playing for the second time in as many days, the Islanders faced a second-place challenger for the second occurrence in less than 24 hours. After securing at least a share of the regular season title with last night's 4-3 victory at Abilene, the Islanders earned the outright championship Thursday.
 
With the win, the Islanders have now gone 24-1 in Southland play to earn the back-to-back titles. The championship also marks the 11th Southland title in 11 years for either the Islander men or women.
 
"Today was an absolute dogfight," said Director of Tennis Steve Moore. "UCA has a very talented team and their record validates that. They also have one of the best up and coming coaches in Casey Wharton. They played incredibly tough and I am very proud of our girls.
 
"I can't say enough about our girls," continued Moore. "We lost the doubles point but didn't make excuses. We have injuries, no excuses. We lost momentum, no excuses. This team just keeps fighting and they support each other like a family. It's so fulfilling to be around. I can't say enough about their toughness, character and the way they fight for each other. I'm very proud for our girls, our university and the city of Corpus Christi."
 
For a second consecutive night, the match was a colossal tussle with the Islanders forced to stage yet another comeback.
 
UCA claimed a quick doubles point with a 6-3 win at the top spot and a 6-2 victory at number two.
 
Freshman Louise Trigona would spark the Islanders' comeback on Thursday evening, rolling off a 6-3, 6-1 win over Amiru Shimoguchi at number four. The victory quickly pulled the Islanders level and Corpus Christi would never trail again.
 
Veteran Jelena Dzinic scored the next blow for the Blue and Green.  At number two in the order, the junior knocked off Hee-Jin Oh by a 6-2, 6-1 margin to give the Islanders a 2-1 edge in the match.
 
UCA would draw level though, snarling the Islanders momentum with a win at number three. QiLi Ma provided the damage for the Bears with a 6-3, 6-4 win. That would be the last point the Bears could muster as the Islanders clamped down for the victory.
 
Marina Vicens Miquel continued her stellar season by giving the Islanders a 3-2 lead. Vicens Miquel stormed to a 6-1 win in the opening set before her opponent, Rada Manataweewat, answered back with a 4-6 second to force a decisive third. The Islander sophomore, Vicens Miquel, regained momentum and cruised to a 6-2 win in the third.
 
The victory marked the completion of a perfect Southland regular season for Vicens Miquel. She finishes at 10-0 in conference singles matches.
 
Needing just a single point to clinch, freshman Maria Maldonado would have the honors as she battled to a three-set victory at number five. Maldonado bookended her match with set victories, earning a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory over Marli Van Heerden.
 
Just like that, the Islanders had rallied from an early deficit for the second consecutive night to earn their second-straight Southland regular season title.
 

For a second straight season, the ladies of ???? are Southland Regular Season Champions! #GoDers pic.twitter.com/PKqcUjGrP2

— Islanders Tennis (@IslandersTennis) April 21, 2017

MOORE THOUGHTS
 
On what it took to win…
"All year long the girls have committed to extreme fitness and work ethic and paying the price to build their bodies to be ready for these tough, hot conditions. That's exactly what lifted them through the last two matches along with unbelievably big heart."
 
On the Southland…
"The level of this conference has become so tough. It's better than I've ever seen by far. There are so many good teams capable of beating you. The mental toughness these girls showed to bring it every match is impressive. I am so excited for these girls to compete in the Southland Conference Championships with their character and grit next week."
 
On philosophy…
"All year long we committed to no talk of results or outcome, just control the things we can control. Every girl brought maximum spirit and energy to every match. That's what we'll focus on next week in the Southland Conference Championships, which will be an absolute dogfight and a tremendous challenge."
 
UP NEXT
 
The women head to Beaumont for the Southland Conference Championships beginning Friday, April 28. For the latest information on the Islanders' trip to the Southland Championships, stay tuned to GoIslanders.com.