Women's tennis falls to Northwestern State

Story Headlines
- The Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi women's tennis team fell to Northwestern State on Monday in Natchitoches, La., 4-3.
- The Islanders moved to 6-3 overall while the Lady Demons improved to 7-2. It was the Southland Conference opener for both teams.
- Carolina Bulatovic, Kei Kato and Mariya Shumeika all picked up singles victories on Friday.
- Bulatovic's win was over former Southland Player of the Year Polina Mutel.
- This is the eighth time a match has come down to 4-3 between the Islanders and the Lady Demons since 2011.
- The Islanders and Northwestern State are 9-9 in the series since 2010.
- Texas A&M-Corpus Christi led 3-2 with two matches left in the third set.
- This is only the fourth Southland loss for the Islanders in last four seasons.

The Results
Doubles
1. Maria Skyba/Polina Mutel (NSU) def. Mariya Shumeika/Carolina Bulatovic (AMCC) 7-5
2. Rhea Verma/Patrycja Polanska (NSU) def. Myu Kageyama/Kei Kato (AMCC) 6-4
3. Judit Castillo/Emilija Dancetovic (NSU) def. Camille Townsend/Maria Maldonado (AMCC) 6-4

Singles
1. Carolina Bulatovic (AMCC) def. Polina Mutel (NSU) 2-6, 6-4, 6-4
2. Kei Kato (AMCC) def. Maria Skyba (NSU) 6-3, 6-1
3. Rhea Verma (NSU) def. Camille Townsend (AMCC) 1-6, 6-2, 6-4
4. Mariya Shumeika (AMCC) def. Patrycja Polanska (NSU) 6-1, 6-1
5. Ela Iwaniuk (NSU) def. Myu Kageyama (AMCC) 7-6 (7-3), 6-2
6. Judit Castillo (NSU) def. Maria Vanessa Reinicke (AMCC) 6-2, 4-6, 6-4

From the Head Coach
"I'm very proud of the way this team fought and the guts they showed. It came down to 6-4 in the third set of the last match on. Every girl fought their hearts out at every position. All fight, no quit! Northwestern State is such a class program and the respectful rivalry between these schools validates all that is good about college sports. I love the character and heart of our team and I believe they are going to have a great season! We just have to keep learning and chopping wood and taking the character road - and we will! Go Islanders!" - Director of Tennis Steve Moore

History of Success
- As a program, the Islanders have reached 10 NCAA Tournaments in program history and captured 22 Southland titles in the last 12 years. The women have won the past three Southland Conference titles.

Up Next
- The Islanders' match against Central Arkansas scheduled for Monday, March 3, has been postponed to a later date. A&M-Corpus Christi will host McNeese on Friday, March 8, at the Thomas J Henry Tennis Center at noon.

Stay Social
- For more information on Islanders Tennis, follow the team on Twitter (@IslandersTennis), Instagram (@IslandersTennis) and like their Facebook page (Islanders Tennis).