CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – For the third consecutive year, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's tennis program will head to the NCAA Tournament after earning the automatic bid with a 4-1 victory over UIW in the finals of the Southland Conference Championships on Monday at the Thomas J. Henry Tennis Center.
The Islanders improved their record to 25-2 (7-0 SLC) on the year and will carry-over a 34-match home winning-streak into next season. It was the 11th championship for women's tennis.
"I can't begin to describe the character and heart of these girls; we are so proud of them! Going to the NCAA Championships three straight years takes so much courage, mental toughness, discipline and hard work. These girls are superstars, and they stand for every good value you respect as a coach," said head coach
Steve Moore. "I know this – I want my daughter to have their heart and character when she grows up. These girl's character and commitment to team is as good as any team in the country."
Islanders Tennis has now won 33 championships, including eight in the last three seasons. The women's victory came after the men won the SLC Championship on Saturday over New Orleans. Islanders Tennis will be making their 16th appearance at the NCAA Tournament.
The Islanders got it started by winning the doubles point. After dropping court one, senior
Victoire Delattre and junior
Emma Aucagne posted a 6-2 victory on court two. The clinching match came at No. 3 where juniors
Valeria Cherfus and
Kateryna Rublevska won 6-3.
In singles, the Cardinals evened it 1-1 with a decision on court one but the Islanders went back ahead 2-1 with a 7-5, 6-1 win by Rublevska on court six. Rublevska improved to 19-2 on the year.
A&M-Corpus Christi won on courts two and four nearly simultaneously. Junior
Naomi Moi McKenzie made it 3-1 after winning 6-4, 6-3 on court two, and just moments later Cherfus clinched the championship with a 6-4, 6-1 victory at No. 4.
"I could never ask for more from a president, AD and donor base than what we have here at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The support we have is unmatched and it was that support that brought this electric environment that propelled these girls."
After the match, Chefus was named the SLC Tournament MVP. She improved to 17-2 on the season and has won 10 consecutive matches.
The match was originally supposed to be played Sunday but was pushed back a day due to rain. The women are now 22-8 in SLC Tournament matches under Moore and 11-0 against UIW.
The Islanders will await their destination for the NCAA Tournament.
A&M-Corpus Christi 4, UIW 1
Doubles Competition
1. Brandelyn Fulgenzi and Estefania Gonzalez (UIW) def.
Naomi Moi McKenzie and
Sofia Pinto (AMCC) 6-1
2.
Emma Aucagne and
Victoire Delattre (AMCC) def. Lyric Bonilla and Gargi Pawar (UIW) 6-2
3.
Valeria Cherfus and
Kateryna Rublevska (AMCC) def. Nitika Girish and Amelie Montalvo (UIW) 6-3
Singles Competition
1. Brandelyn Fulgenzi (UIW) def.
Emma Aucagne (AMCC) 6-2, 6-4
2.
Naomi Moi McKenzie (AMCC) def. Estefania Gonzalez (UIW) 6-4, 6-3
3.
Sofia Pinto (AMCC) vs. Gargi Pawar (UIW) 6-7 (4-7), 3-4 unfinished
4.
Valeria Cherfus (AMCC) def. Amelie Montalvo (UIW) 6-4, 6-1
5.
Victoire Delattre (AMCC) vs. Lyric Bonilla (UIW) 6-1, 2-6, 4-4 unfinished
6.
Kateryna Rublevska (AMCC) def. Nitika Girish (UIW) 7-5, 6-1
A&M-Corpus Christi Tennis
- 16 NCAA Tournaments
- 33 SLC Championships
- 4 Top-40 National Rankings
- 3.0 GPA 39 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
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