ABILENE, Texas – Both the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi men's & women's tennis programs picked up Southland Conference victories over Abilene Christian on Friday as the men won 6-1 and women 5-2 at the Eager Tennis Center.
With the wins, the men improved to 13-4 (1-0 SLC) on the season and the women 15-1 (5-0 SLC). The ACU women fell to 9-10 (4-3 SLC) and the men 6-11 (1-2 SLC). The men's match was a rematch from the finals of the 2019 SLC Championships where the Islanders won 4-3 to advance to their eighth NCAA Championship.
"Big respect for ACU. This is always one of the toughest places to play and today was no different," said head coach
Steve Moore. "Both our teams showed so much heart. The guys brought incredible energy and fight from the first point and never let up. The girls started off flat but showed tremendous heart and character to win five first sets after losing the doubles point. Everyone cares for each other and fights for each other! We said the key today was the 'three F's' - fight, find a way, family of encouragers and that's exactly what this team did! I'm incredibly proud of these Islanders!"
The men's match was never in doubt. The Islanders grabbed the doubles point with wins at the No. 1 and 2 positions. The freshmen duo of
Pascal Lorieul and
Nathan Schwartz won 6-1 at No. 1, while junior
Kyohei Yamanaka and freshman
Ryuya Ata won 6-2 at No. 2.
In singles, the Islanders won five matches in straight sets. Most notably, Lorieul remained undefeated with a perfect 10-0 singles record with a 6-1, 6-3 victory at No. 4.
At the top spot, Yamanaka posted the same score as Lorieul 6-1, 6-3. On the court next to him, Ata notched a 7-5, 6-4 win at No. 2.
Moving down the lineup, freshman
Carlos Berna Ruiz cruised to a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 5. Freshman
Borja Delgado cruised to a 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 6.
The women's match didn't start as planned as the Islanders had to battle back after dropping the doubles point. Freshmen
Leopoldine Boisseau and
Victoire Delattre won 6-3 at No. 3 doubles, but ACU grabbed the top two courts for the point.
A&M-Corpus Christi responded in singles though. Sophomore
Mariya Shumeika remained undefeated with a 6-3, 6-4 win at the No. 1 position. Fellow sophomore
Camille Townsend got it done 6-1, 6-3 at No. 2.
Another straight set win came from Boisseau and she capped a 2-0 day with a 6-1, 6-3 victory at No. 5.
The Islanders finished it off with a pair of three setters. After dropping the first set, freshman
Emma Honore battled back for a 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 win at No. 3. Freshman
Emma Aucagne was also in a nail-biter but pulled out a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 win at No. 4.
Up next, the women will play Central Arkansas on Thursday, April 1 in a neutral court match against Central Arkansas in Tyler, Texas. The Islanders were supposed to play at Incarnate Word this Sunday but the match was postponed due to COVID-19 protocols within UIW's program.
A&M-Corpus Christi Tennis
- 11 NCAA Tournaments
- 25 SLC Championships
- 4 Top-40 National Rankings
- 3.0 GPA 31 Straight Semesters
- Islanders have received a No. 3 seed at the NCAA Tournament three times
- Women's tennis has cracked the ITA top-75 national rankings three times
- Men's tennis has cracked the ITA national rankings 10 consecutive years
- Ranked nationally in NCAA DI as high as No. 35 for the men and No. 60 for the women
Men's Tennis
A&M-Corpus Christi 6, Abilene Christian 1
Doubles competition
1.
Pascal Lorieul/
Nathan Schwartz (AMCC) def. Savan Chhabra/Riley Tran (ACU) 6-1
2.
Kyohei Yamanaka/
Ryuya Ata (AMCC) def. Joaquin Delgado/Oswaldo Cano (ACU) 6-2
3. Jose Maria Rastrojo/Mihaly Deli (ACU) vs.
Borja Delgado/
Carlos Berna Ruiz (AMCC) 5-4, unfinished
Singles competition
1.
Kyohei Yamanaka (AMCC) def. Savan Chhabra (ACU) 6-1, 6-3
2.
Ryuya Ata (AMCC) def. Riley Tran (ACU) 7-5, 6-4
3. Mihaly Deli (ACU) def.
Nathan Schwartz (AMCC) 6-3, 7-6
4.
Pascal Lorieul (AMCC) def. Oswaldo Cano (ACU) 6-1, 6-3
5.
Carlos Berna Ruiz (AMCC) def. Joaquin Delgado (ACU) 6-2, 6-2
6.
Borja Delgado (AMCC) def. Jose Maria Rastrojo (ACU) 6-1, 6-1
Women's Tennis
A&M-Corpus Christi 5, Abilene Christian 2
Doubles competition
1. Nini Memishishi/Ileana Mocciola (ACUW) def.
Camille Townsend/
Mariya Shumeika (AMCC) 6-4
2. Allison Stewart/Claire Fisher (ACUW) def.
Emma Honore/
Emma Aucagne (AMCC) 6-4
3.
Leopoldine Boisseau/
Victoire Delattre (AMCC) def. Maryjoe Crisologo/Andrea Guerrero (ACUW) 6-3
Singles competition
1.
Mariya Shumeika (AMCC) def. Nini Memishishi (ACUW) 6-3, 6-4
2.
Camille Townsend (AMCC) def. Maryjoe Crisologo (ACUW) 6-1, 6-3
3.
Emma Honore (AMCC) def. Allison Stewart (ACUW) 4-6, 6-2, 7-5
4.
Emma Aucagne (AMCC) def. Ileana Mocciola (ACUW) 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
5.
Leopoldine Boisseau (AMCC) def. Andrea Guerrero (ACUW) 6-1, 6-3
6. Claire Fisher (ACUW) def.
Victoire Delattre (AMCC) 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (8-6)
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