Singles Sail Islanders Past Demons

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – In a clash of two teams that have met in the Southland Conference title match in three of the past four years, Saturday's battle between Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Northwestern State had all the makings of a title bout. After the Demons claimed an early lead, the Islanders threw the final punch to earn a 5-2 victory.
 
"The girls really came out and showed great character," said Director of Tennis Steve Moore. "We were a little slow in doubles, but I really credit Northwestern State and their game plan.  They are a tough, tough opponent and are a team that has made the Southland Conference finals four years in a row. We knew they were going to bring it hard and bring it smart today.
 
"We just had to match that and make the choice to stay in the present and fight hard every point," continued Moore. "You have to realize at this point of the year, every point is a big point. That's what these girls did, they made the choice to put doubles behind them and out-fight a very, very tough opponent."
 
Northwestern State (12-7, 5-4) jumped to the early advantage behind strong doubles play. The Demons put their power on display with wins at all three doubles courts, going 6-4 at one, 7-5 at two and 6-1 at three for the first point of the day.
 
The lead was short-lived, however, as the Islanders (14-2, 7-1) regrouped and opened singles action with a flurry.
 
Marina Vicens-Miquel improved her singles record to 13-1 and a perfect 7-0 Southland mark with a dominant victory at the sixth spot. The sophomore raced past Kateryna Avram in 6-1, 6-1 fashion to quickly draw the Islanders level at 1-1.
 
Much like Vicens-Miquel, Hortense Boscher also came out of the gates on a tear in singles play. At her usual top spot in the order, Boscher rolled over Iryna Vardanian in a 6-1, 6-0 match to give the Islanders the lead. The Blue and Green would never look back en route to the 5-2 win.
 
After the quick matches to bookend the singles order, freshman Maria Maldonado made it a 3-1 advantage for the Islanders.  Maldonado rallied in the first set to earn a 7-5 victory against Judit Castillo. The sophomore kept the momentum rolling with a 6-1 win in the second set.
 
That left the match to be clinched by Louise Trigona. The rookie earned a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Emilija Dancetovic at the four spot. The win moved Trigona to 6-1 in conference play.
 
Finishing out the matches, Jelena Dzinic completed a big rally at two. After falling 3-6 in the first, the Islander won 6-2 and followed with a 10-5 tiebreak third. Judit Vives was in a third-set tiebreak after a 6-3, 6-7 first two sets, before losing her footing and being forced to retire.
 


 

SENIOR DAY SUNDAY

 
The Islanders return to the courts Sunday for Senior Day against Stephen F. Austin. First serve is set for noon at the Thomas J. Henry Tennis Center. The men will also be in action as they face UIW at 3 p.m.