NCAA Journey Ends for Islanders Tennis against No. 1 Texas

AUSTIN, Texas – A highly successful season came to a close Saturday for the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi men's tennis program as it fell to No. 1 Texas 4-0 in the NCAA Tournament at the Texas Tennis Center.
 
"It took the No. 1 team in nation to end this magical season for these amazing, high character Islanders! I can honestly say this team was a family and one of most high character, true teams I've ever coached in 29 years! All year they chose the character road of team unity, constant encouragement and outwork everyone! They blasted excuses, selfishness, drama like Rambo and chose accountability," said head coach Steve Moore.
 
The Islanders earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after winning eight consecutive matches including the Southland Conference Tournament. A&M-Corpus Christi defeated New Orleans 4-3 in the championship match.
 
A&M-Corpus Christi battled the Longhorns valiantly in doubles. Texas clinched with a 6-3 decision on court one, but senior Nathan Schwartz and freshman Tomas Quesada Perez were tied 5-5 on court three.
 
In singles, the tightest match was on court three. Senior Matthieu Peres dropped the fight set 6-2 when he led 4-3 in the second when Texas clinched. Peres ended the year on a six-match winning-streak and was 18-4 on the season.
 
"We were not ranked top-10 but were top-10 in culture and character! I will always remember how this team cared for each other and fought for each other! This I know for sure - these Islanders will be champions in their communities, families, business and friendships, and Islander family always," Moore said.
 
A&M-Corpus Christi made its 16th NCAA Tournament appearance in school history and the fifth in the last three seasons. The Islanders have won 33 conference championships overall including 22 on the men's side and 11 on the women's.
 

Moments away from match time. Let's go Islanders!#ShakasUp // #StayBlueCollar pic.twitter.com/COUnJsiPFA

— Islanders Tennis (@IslandersTennis) May 6, 2023

No. 1 Texas 4, A&M-Corpus Christi 0
Doubles Competition
1. #3 Eliot Spizzirri/Cleeve Harper (UT) def. Avery Zavala/Pascal Lorieul (AMCC-M) 6-3
2. #75 Siem Woldeab/Pierre-Yves Bailly (UT) def. Ulysse Bertrand/Matthieu Peres (AMCC-M) 6-0
3. Chih Chi Huang/Evin McDonald (UT) vs. Nathan Schwartz/Tomas Quesada Perez (AMCC-M) 5-5, unfinished
 
Singles Competition
1. #1 Eliot Spizzirri (UT) def. Avery Zavala (AMCC-M) 6-3, 6-0
2. #61 Micah Braswell (UT) def. Pascal Lorieul (AMCC-M) 6-2, 6-2
3. #54 Siem Woldeab (UT) vs. Matthieu Peres (AMCC-M) 6-2, 3-4, unfinished
4. Cleeve Harper (UT) vs. Nathan Schwartz (AMCC-M) 6-2, 4-2, unfinished
5. Nevin Arimilli (UT) vs. Ulysse Bertrand (AMCC-M) 6-1, 5-1, unfinished
6. Evin McDonald (UT) def. Lucas Schurdevin (AMCC-M) 6-1, 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
 
Stay Social
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#ShakasUp