CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – With impactful performances throughout the week, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi men's and women's tennis teams captured the final Southland Conference Player of the Week honors of the 2018 regular season. After going 2-0 last week, Thomas Rodrigues Lopes earned his second player of the week honor this season. For the women, Luna Dormet tallied the first player of the week honor of her young career, going 3-1 throughout their final two matches.
Last Wednesday, the Islander men competed in their final match before heading into the Southland Conference Tournament, traveling to Beaumont to take on Lamar. With a guaranteed second seed on the line, the stakes were high. The Islanders came out of the gates running, with Rodrigues right in the mix. At No. 2 doubles, Thomas teamed with William Mottet, earning a 6-3 win over Lamar's Sebastian Santibanez/Arthur Serafim to clinch the doubles point for the Islanders. Rodrigues then lined up at the No. 3 position to take on Arthur Serafim in singles play. Building on the momentum from doubles, Rodrigues quickly stormed through Serafim in two sets (6-2, 6-1), securing the first singles point for the team. Rodrigues' early boost helped propel the Islanders, who ultimately earned a 5-2 victory over the Cardinals to close out the regular season.
The Islander women traveled to Belton on Thursday for a neutral-site match against Central Arkansas. At No. 1 doubles, Dormet teamed with Hortense Boscher, earning a 7-5 win over UCA's Pornpawee Pramethong/Marli Van Heerden to secure the doubles point for the Islanders. Dormet continued to roll in singles as she lined up at No. 3 to take on QiLi Ma. In building off the team's momentum, she earned the point in two sets (6-2, 7-5), helping propel the women to just their second 7-0 win in conference play this season.
Saturday, April 21, the women remained on the road for their regular season finale, traveling to Natchitoches for a four-hour battle with Northwestern State. The Lady Demons came out strong, securing doubles point to start the match. But, the Islanders continued to fight. Lined up at No. 3 singles vs. Emilija Dancetovic, the deciding point rested on Dormet's shoulders, as the match was tied 3-3. After dropping the first set, Dormet battled back, securing the point in three sets (5-7, 6-2, 6-4) to give the Islanders the victory over the Lady Demons.
Saturday's win propelled the Islanders to their third-straight SLC regular season title, and their fourth in the last five years. The women also improved to 31-2 in Southland Conference play over the last three years.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Islanders return to Beaumont this weekend to compete in the Southland Conference tournament. The tournament will take place between Friday, April 27 and Sunday, April 29. The Islander women kick things off Friday, April 27 with a 10 a.m. match vs. New Orleans. The Islander men follow on Saturday, April 28 with a 10 a.m. match against Abilene Christian. Be sure to keep up with goislanders.com, as well as follow @IslandersTennis on Facebook and Twitter for updated results, brackets and match times!
