Women Set for Big Battles at Southland Tournament

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – For a second consecutive season, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's tennis heads to the Southland Conference Tournament as the regular season champion and number one seed. The Islanders hope come Sunday afternoon, they're once again leaving with tourney title and an NCAA automatic bid in-hand.
 
The Islanders (17-2, 10-1) will open their title defense on Friday afternoon in a 2 p.m. tilt with No. 8 seed Stephen F. Austin at the Beaumont Municipal Tennis Center.
 
This season, the Islanders ran through the Southland with just a single hiccup. The speed bump at Lamar only seemed to galvanize the Islanders stormed to nine consecutive victories to end the season.
 
No matter the test down the stretch, the Blue and Green had an answer. Down, 2-0 to regional rival UTSA? No problem, the Islanders rallied for a 4-3 victory. With the Southland title at stake on the road in Abilene, Corpus Christi again faced an 2-0 deficit. It did not matter as the Islanders clawed all the way back for another 4-3 victory.
 
Battle-tested and confident, the Islanders head to Beaumont – site of their only Southland loss this season – looking for a second straight Southland Conference Tournament championship and a return to the NCAAs for the third time in four years.
 
On Wednesday, the Islanders were recognized for their dominance during the conference season, earning four of the six spots on the All-Southland First Team for singles. With fierce tests certain to come their way in Beaumont, the Islanders know they will need to live up to those honors and likely more.
 
Corpus Christi opens the tournament against eighth-seeded Stephen F. Austin. The Ladyjacks ended the regular season at 5-6 in Southland matches. In the clash with the 'Jacks in the regular season, the Islanders rolled to a 7-0 victory at home.
 
A quarterfinal victory would earn the Blue and Green a date with either McNeese or New Orleans in the semifinals. The Islanders topped McNeese 5-2 at home on March 24, while edging New Orleans 4-3 on the road.

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