No. 2: Women's Tennis Repeats in Southland

Women's Tennis | July 28, 2017

Top Moments Presented by Aspen Heights Apartments Corpus Christi
 
Throughout the summer, the Islanders will be counting down the top moments of the 2016-17 season with a new flashback released every Friday. Be sure to check out GoIslanders.com throughout the summer to celebrate the memorable Texas A&M-Corpus Christi athletics achievements during the last year.
 
Women's Tennis Repeats as Southland Champion
 
One year after the historic 24-0 regular season, the Islanders marched back to the NCAA Tournament with another dominant performance in the Southland Conference. The Blue and Green dropped just two regular season matches and won the final nine matches leading into the Southland Conference Championships.
 
Over the course of three days at Lamar, the Islanders ran off three straight victories to earn their second-consecutive Southland Conference Championship and the third in four years.
 
The title defense started with a 4-2 victory over Stephen F. Austin in the quarterfinals. It took a rally for the Islanders to stave off the upset-minded Ladyjacks, but the Blue and Green overcame the early deficit to advance to the semis. Once in the semifinal, the Islanders faced a pesky New Orleans squad which took the Islanders to the brink in a 4-3 regular season meeting. This time, a massive rally in doubles play sparked the Islanders to a 4-1 victory and clinched a return to the title match.
 
As the Islanders returned to the final, upstart Central Arkansas knocked off Lamar, the only Southland team to beat the Blue and Green in the regular season, to set the championship matchup. Corpus Christi opened its title defense in strong fashion, dominating doubles play and earning the early 1-0 advantage, but the Bears clawed back.
 
After Judit Vives earned a quick victory to give the Islanders a 2-0 lead, the Bears traded matches with the Blue and Green to reach a 3-2 score line. The triumphant moment would belong to junior Jelena Dzinic, who rallied from a 3-4 deficit in the second set to send the Islanders celebrating once more.
 
The title sent the Islanders back to the NCAA Championships for the third time in four years as the Blue and Green continues to build its young dynasty on the women's side.