HOUSTON, Texas - In a match much tighter than the score, the Islanders fall short in Houston. The Islanders jumped out to a 1-0 lead in doubles, before losing four set tiebreakers 7-6, as well as several leads. Ultimately, the Cougars stormed back to win the match 6-1.
"I give a lot of credit to Houston," said Coach Steve Moore. "That is a tough, well coached team. I thought we got off to a great start, and had good momentum. But, give Houston a lot of credit. They showed a lot of grit and resiliency, and charged back hard. That is a very tough, well coached Houston team."
"This match was a tough battle," Moore continued. "We have to be mentally tougher, and do a better job coaching them through those tiebreakers. This could have been a different outcome if we handled those tiebreakers better. We lost to a very good team today. But, we didn't play every point with intensity, tough and smart. We played 4 out of 5, and that will cost you a high-level match against a team like Houston. We must play every point with intensity, which has been this team's identity over the last few years. You're either winning or you're learning, and we learned some tough lessons today that I believe will make us better in the long journey of this season. I love the character and fight of this team, and believe in them deeply. I look forward to getting back to work with this high character group."
In doubles action, with Houston winning #1 and the Islanders winning #3, Freshman Luna Dormet and Hortense Boscher rose up to win 7-5 in the tiebreaker to put the Islanders up 1-0.
After an intense battle in doubles, the Islanders followed with a strong start in the singles. The women were up or even in almost every match. Then, Houston started to change the momentum, rallying back strong to take over.
FINAL STATS
Singles – Order of Finish: 2,1,3,4,6,5
1. Dimitrova, Tsveta (HOU) def. Luna Dormet (AMCC) 6-2, 7-5
2. Mazzari, Sveva (HOU) def. Hortense Boscher (AMCC) 6-4, 6-2
3. Alter, Lauren (HOU) def. Jelena Dzinic (AMCC) 6-3, 6-4
4. Mills, Alison (HOU) def. Louise Trigona (AMCC) 6-2, 7-6 (10-6)
5. Nicolaou, Constanden (HOU) def. Marina Vicens Miquel (AMCC) 7-6 (10-6), 7-6 (10-7)
6. Glumac, Ana (HOU) def. Maria Maldonado (AMCC) 3-6, 6-3, 6-1
Doubles – Order of Finish: 1,3,2
1. Dimitrova, Tsveta/Mazzari, Sveva (HOU) def. Carolina Bulatovic/Jelena Dzinic (AMCC) 6-1
2. Hortense Boscher/Luna Dormet (AMCC) def. Alter, Lauren/Mills, Alison (HOU) 7-6 (10-5)
3. Maria Soler Valverde/Maria Maldonado (AMCC) def. Glumac, Ana/Nicolaou, Constanden (HOU) 6-4
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What's next: The women return home next week for a match slated on Thursday, February 1 at 4 PM vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville.
