Islanders Win SLC Regular Season Title, Clinch No. 1 Seed for SLC Tournament on Senior Day

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The day started by honoring senior Chad Nguyen on Senior Day, and ended with a Southland Conference regular season championship as the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi men's tennis program defeated Lamar 6-1 Friday at the Thomas J. Henry Tennis Center.
 
It marked the 26th SLC Championship for A&M-Corpus Christi tennis, including the 11th regular season title for the men (17-4, 5-0 SLC) who went undefeated in league play.
 
Prior to the match, the Islanders conducted a special Senior Day ceremony for Chad Nguyen. He's the only Texas native on the roster and hails from College Station. Nguyen is on pace to graduate this spring with a major in business and a 3.6 GPA.
 
"So special this team won the Southland regular season championship on Chad's Senior Day. Because the values that propelled this team are exactly what Chad has always stood for – special character teammates who fight for each other, encourage each other and support each other. That's what Chad did for this team the last five years and that's what elevated us today. The team unity of this group is truly special. They are just such a family - the boys, girls, all the support staff pour their heart and soul into being a team. And that was the difference today -they fought for each other," said head coach Steve Moore.
 
Freshman Pascal Lorieul capped an undefeated regular season with a 14-0 (5-0 SLC) record. All five of his conference wins were in straight sets. He beat Lamar's Carlos Paton Canal 6-4, 6-1.
 
Also going unbeaten in conference was freshman Borja Delgado. He ousted Brandon Do 6-2, 6-2 at No. 5.
 
All five of A&M-Corpus Christi's singles wins came in straight sets. At No. 2, freshman Ryuya Ata topped Nicolas Mayr 6-2, 6-1. A similar result came at No. 3 where freshman Nathan Schwartz ousted Filippo Salsini 6-2, 6-2.
 
Rounding it out was freshman Guillermo Castaneda at No. 6 where he posted a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Joshua Sundaram.
 
In doubles, the Islanders won the point with victories at No. 2 and 3. Both matches were 6-2 as Schwartz and Lorieul teamed at No. 2, and Delgado and freshman Carlos Berna Ruiz clinched it at No. 3.
 
A&M-Corpus Christi improved to 18-3 all-time against the Cardinals and a perfect 12-0 at home.
 
The men will now turn their attention to the conference tournament. The bracket has not yet been released, but the first-seeded Islanders will play Saturday, April 24 in Beaumont, Texas.
 
A&M-Corpus Christi Tennis
- 11 NCAA Tournaments
- 26 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
 
A&M-Corpus Christi 6, Lamar 1
Doubles Competition
1. Axel Vila Antuna (LU) def. Kyohei Yamanaka (AMCC) 6-3, 5-7, 10-5
2. Ryuya Ata (AMCC) def. Nicolas Mayr (LU) 6-2, 6-1
3. Nathan Schwartz (AMCC) def. Filippo Salsini (LU) 6-2, 6-2
4. Pascal Lorieul (AMCC) def. Carlos Paton Canal (LU) 6-4, 6-1
5. Borja Delgado (AMCC) def. Brandon Do (LU) 6-2, 6-2
6. Guillermo Castaneda (AMCC) def. Joshua Sundaram (LU) 6-3, 7-5
 
Singles Competition
1. Ryuya Ata/Kyohei Yamanaka (AMCC) vs. Axel Vila Antuna/Nicolas Mayr (LU) 3-5, unfinished
2. Nathan Schwartz/Pascal Lorieul (AMCC) def. Filippo Salsini/Joshua Taylor (LU) 6-2
3. Borja Delgado/Carlos Berna Ruiz (AMCC) def. Brandon Do/Joshua Sundaram (LU) 6-2

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