Shorthanded Islanders Battle Back to Beat DePaul in Finale of H-E-B Tournament of Champions

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Playing without its No. 1 and 2 singles players from last season, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christ men's tennis program came from behind to defeat DePaul 4-3 on Saturday in the H-E-B Tournament of Champions at the Thomas J. Henry Tennis Center.
 
The Islanders improved to 10-5 overall on the season at 5-0 at home. They were without senior Kyohei Yamanaka and sophomore Ryuya Ata who held the top two spots on last year's squad that won two championships and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
 
A&M-Corpus Christi fought back after dropping the doubles point. Sophomores Pascal Lorieul and Nathan Schwartz won 6-3 at No. 1 doubles, but the Blue Demons won the other two courts to take the point.
 
The Islanders responded in singles and quickly tied it 1-1 after Schwartz cruised to a 6-2, 6-0 win at No. 3 singles. Lorieul also turned in a 2-0 day after ousting Marino Jakic 6-2, 7-5.
 
A&M-Corpus Christi's third straight-set win came at No. 6 where sophomore Borja Delgado registered a 6-2, 7-5 win over Matteo Iaquinto.
 
The lone three-setter, which ultimately decided the match, was won by sophomore Guillermo Castaneda as he grinded out a 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 decision at No. 4 over Lars Peder Minsaas.
 
"These guys showed a ton of heart and toughness today. They say your character is defined by how you get back up when you're knocked down, and these guys fought like tigers today. They showed big character and heart. This is a blue collar family of fights – that's who we are, and every now and then you have to look hard in the mirror and remember your identity and roots. That's what these guys did today. They just fought with all their hearts for this team of brothers," said head coach Steve Moore.
 
The Islanders improved to 3-1 all-time against DePaul.
 
Next up, A&M-Corpus Christi will travel to Trinity on Thursday for a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
 
A&M-Corpus Christi Tennis
- 13 NCAA Tournaments
- 28 SLC Championships
- 4 Top-40 National Rankings
- 3.0 GPA 35 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 4, DePaul 3
Doubles Competition
1. Nathan Schwartz/Pascal Lorieul (AMCC-M) def. Vito Tonejc/Marino Jakic (DPU) 6-3
2. Leon Huck/Lars Peder Minsaas (DPU) def. Matthieu Peres/Borja Delgado (AMCC-M) 6-3
3. Tripp Tuff/Matteo Iaquinto (DPU) def. Guillermo Castaneda/Ulysse Bertrand (AMCC-M) 6-2

Singles Competition
1. Vito Tonejc (DPU) def. Matthieu Peres (AMCC-M) 6-3, 6-3
2. Pascal Lorieul (AMCC-M) def. Marino Jakic (DPU) 6-2, 7-5
3. Nathan Schwartz (AMCC-M) def. Lars Peder Minsaas (DPU) 6-2, 6-0
4. Guillermo Castaneda (AMCC-M) def. Tripp Tuff (DPU) 4-6, 6-2, 6-1
5. Leon Huck (DPU) def. Ulysse Bertrand (AMCC-M) 6-4, 6-4
6. Borja Delgado (AMCC-M) def. Matteo Iaquinto (DPU) 6-2, 7-5

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