Women Surge into Title Bout

BEAUMONT, Texas – The repeat bid is alive and well for Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's tennis as the Islanders held off a strong challenge from New Orleans Saturday afternoon for a 4-1 semifinal victory.
 
"Every match left on was three sets," said Director of Tennis Steve Moore. "There are a lot of clichés in sports and one of them is heart wins and character wins. I can't tell you how true that is, how massive our girls' heart was. I have unbelievable respect for New Orleans. Both teams deserved to win that match. New Orleans fought with so much character and guts – they never quit.
 
"That was a 4-3 match and I think everyone watching saw that," continued Moore. "Our fitness was big for us at the end. Our heart and legs were big for us at the end. That was just an absolute dogfight that both teams deserved to win. That's what college tennis and college sports are all about. Anyone watching this got a treat."
 
The match started with the most improbable of rallies in doubles play. As it turned out, the turnaround would prove crucial to the Islanders' victory.
 
After New Orleans claimed a 6-3 victory at the number three spot, the outlook appeared bleak as the Blue and Green trailed 5-1 at number one and 4-2 at number two. That's when everything changed.
 
Hortense Boscher and Louise Trigona started the rally. The Islanders' second pairing worked their way back to a 5-5 tie. The French duo would claim the next two sets earning a 7-5 win and tying the doubles play.
 
That set the stage for the comeback at the top spot, where Jelena Dzinic and Judit Vives pulled off the most miraculous of rallies. Trailing 5-1, the Islander duo faced match point at 30-40. Dzinic and Vives clawed back, winning the deuce point to pull within 5-2.
 
"What heart our girls showed," said Moore. "They dug a huge hole for themselves and were not sticking with their process. Instead of judging themselves, they stayed in the present, got back to their process and made two miracle comebacks. We were down 5-1 and 4-2, that's character."
 
From there, the Islanders stormed all the way back, winning the final six sets of the match to give the Islanders an incredible rally and 1-0 lead.
 
Heading into singles, it quickly became apparent that the doubles point would be a difference maker.
 
Marina Vicens Miquel was her usual dominant self. The First Team All-Southland selection rolled out a straight-set victory in 6-3, 6-2 fashion. The sophomore handed the Islanders a 2-0 advantage and early momentum.
 
Shortly after, Vives earned a 6-3, 6-2 win of her own to stake the Blue and Green out to a 3-0 lead. Vives, playing at the number four spot in the tournament, knocked off Claudette Gilhespie to set the Islanders well on their way to a victory – or so it seemed.
 
New Orleans found a foothold and started a rally of its own. Anja Luethi rallied back from a 3-6 first set to top Jelena Dzinic in three sets. That brought the match to 3-1 with all the remaining matches in third sets.
 
With all three third sets looking razor thin, it was veteran leader Hortense Boscher who finally pushed the Blue and Green over the top. After trading 6-2 sets, nothing could separate Boscher and UNO number one Trang Dao in the third. Locked at 6-6, the two headed to a tiebreak where Dao established a 2-1 lead.
 
Boscher rallied back, snagging the next five points to build a 6-2 advantage. Dao pulled back the next two points, closing to 6-4 before Boscher slammed the door for the 7-4 clinching point.
 
"Hortense is one of the hardest workers I've ever coached," said Moore. "If you watch her at practice, she never quits bouncing. All that hard work over the last nine months paid dividends in that tiebreaker. After four hours and fifteen minutes, her legs were still fresh in this heat and humidity. She earned the right to be confident and have legs in that big moment."
 
The victory sends the Islanders back to Southland Conference Championship match as the Blue and Green looks to repeat its title.
 
TITLE BOUT
 
The Islanders will face off against Central Arkansas for the Southland Conference Championship at 2 p.m. on Sunday. To track the Islanders in the Championship Match, follow @IslandersTennis on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.