NATCHITOCHES, La. – Posting the 7-0 win at Northwestern State in its regular season finale, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's tennis team rounded out the perfect 7-0 SLC record for the second year in a row.
The Islanders (20-2, 7-0 SLC), who had already secured the regular season championship outright heading into the match, still had some unfinished business as they went in looking to repeat another feat and they did just that as the 7-0 win over Northwestern State (10-8, 3-4 SLC) completed the undefeated record.
It is the second year in a row that the Islanders refused to let up to a Southland opponent, and just the third time in program history. It neatly ties up the championship season as they won their second straight and sixth total regular season title, the most in Southland Conference history on the women's side.
"We are incredibly proud of these high character Islanders and the tremendous mental toughness they have showed all year to go undefeated in a very tough conference! That is an incredibly difficult accomplishment, because every team is coming at you every week. The way they encouraged each other, chose the character road, and always showed up to fight for each other is a result of their great team unity and culture! We are so, so proud of them," said head coach
Steve Moore.
Seniors
Emma Aucagne and
Naomi Moi McKenzie finished undefeated in conference doubles, taking a 6-2 decision to help secure the point against the Lady Demons at court one. Both then took care of business at No. 1 and No. 2 singles, respectively, as Aucagne won 6-2, 6-4 and McKenzie raced out to a 6-0, 6-1 win.
Senior
Valeria Cherfus continued her own reign as a 7-6 (5), 6-2 win at court four kept her undefeated career record in conference play intact, moving to 16-0 all-time against Southland opponents including tournament matches.
Freshman
Ana Veroux jumped out for a 6-2, 6-1 victory at No. 3 singles while senior
Kateryna Rublevska also capped the regular season with a gritty straight-set 7-5, 6-4 win at court five.
The Islanders have now won 23 straight matches against Southland opponents, including the conference tournaments. A&M-Corpus Christi also now holds an advantage in the head-to-head with Northwestern State with the 13-12 all-time record.
"Northwestern State is one of the great programs in the history of the Southland Conference, and is always the toughest place to play, so this took a tremendous effort from our girls! I have so much respect for their program and Patric Dubois! He has been producing excellence for 30 years and shown great loyalty in an industry full of drive-through hamburgers! They are one of the programs that elevates our entire sport because they do all the extras – elite coaching, fundraising, community, facilities, and truly care about players! There's only one way to do those things sustainably, and that's for the leader to pour his heart and soul into the program and work tirelessly long hour! Patric has made that sacrifice, and that program carries tremendous respect nationally because of it," said Moore.
With momentum on their side, the Islanders will enter the conference tournament next weekend seeking history. Having won the last three straight tournament titles, the women will begin a journey towards their fourth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament which has never been done in Southland Conference history.
The tournament is set for April 18-21 in San Antonio, hosted by UIW.
Match Results – A&M-Corpus Christi 7, Northwestern State 0
Doubles competition
1.
Emma Aucagne/
Naomi Moi McKenzie (AMCC-W) def. Tjasa Klevisar/Honoka Umeda (NSU) 6-2
2. Maria Farina/Sofi Garcia (NSU) def.
Ana Veroux/
Palina Saulevich (AMCC-W) 7-6 (7-1)
3.
Kateryna Rublevska/
Valeria Cherfus (AMCC-W) def. No player/No player (NSU), by default
Singles competition
1.
Emma Aucagne (AMCC-W) def. Tjasa Klevisar (NSU) 6-2, 6-4
2.
Naomi Moi McKenzie (AMCC-W) def. Maria Farina (NSU) 6-0, 6-1
3.
Ana Veroux (AMCC-W) def. Sara Erenda (NSU) 6-2, 6-1
4.
Valeria Cherfus (AMCC-W) def. Sofi Garcia (NSU) 7-6 (7-5), 6-2
5.
Kateryna Rublevska (AMCC-W) def. Honoka Umeda (NSU) 7-5, 6-4
6.
Victoire Delattre (AMCC-W) def. No player (NSU), by default
A&M-Corpus Christi Tennis
- 16 NCAA Tournaments
- 34 SLC Championships
- 4 Top-40 National Rankings
- 3.0 GPA 41 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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