COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's tennis team concluded its season at none other than the NCAA Tournament, bringing a historic season to a close Saturday after dropping a 4-0 battled decision to a tough No. 13 Texas A&M team at the Mitchell Tennis Center.
The Islanders (23-3) accomplished what no other women's tennis team in the Southland Conference has done, having reached the NCAAs for four straight seasons. It wraps up the collegiate careers of a senior class that has never played at A&M-Corpus Christi without playing in the NCAA Tournament.
Seniors
Emma Aucagne,
Kateryna Rublevska, and
Victoire Delattre have been a part of all four runs to the postseason. All five seniors have seen at least four championships while playing for the Islanders after
Naomi Moi McKenzie and
Valeria Cherfus joined last year.
And all five saw the court in their final outings, playing at courts one, two, three, five, and six for the Big Dance. The Islanders played each game tight, but the nationally ranked Aggies managed to get the breaks they needed for the final score.
"It took one of best teams in nation to end this magical season for these five amazing seniors! I will always remember their heart, courage, and team unity! They were simply special and chose a culture where we fought for each other and loved every trip and practice together! They poured their heart and soul into this team and each other! Grateful to God for the blessing of coaching such special kids! They will be champions the rest of their lives! Islander Family always!" said head coach
Steve Moore.
Notably, McKenzie played the #1 ranked player in the nation in a closely contested battle at No. 2 singles, narrowly falling just 6-4 in the first set. The lengthy back-and-forth didn't get the second set underway before the match was decided.
Cherfus hung with her #26 ranked opponent at No. 3 singles early on while Delattre was up 2-1 at No. 6 singles for a quick advantage before Texas A&M settled into its home court. Delattre and sophomore
Palina Saulevich paired at No. 3 doubles and fought off match point to trail just 5-4 before doubles was decided.
It was the first time in nearly two months that the Islanders had dropped a match, as they carried a 13-mach winning streak in the NCAA Tournament.
While the season wraps up, the Islanders will be reminded of 2024 in the record books. It was the fifth time in program history that they won both the Southland Conference regular season and tournament titles. It was also the team's third ever time going undefeated in conference play this year but first to do so in back-to-back seasons after also going 7-0 in 2023.
The women now contribute 13 championships to the Islanders Tennis dynasty, where Moore has guided the men and women to a combined 35 conference titles. He recently became a 14-time SLC Coach of the Year, the most among any coach in the conference.
In addition, Aucagne became a two-time SLC Player of the Year, the first player in program history to ever win, let alone repeat, the headlining award. She is just the seventh player in conference history to repeat the accolade. With all six singles players earning All-Conference honors, it marked another historical mark as the first time in program history that had been done.
It is the second year in a row that the Islanders only posted three losses. The women have not lost more than five matches in a season in five years. They will also carry on a 45-match home winning streak into another season, not having lost on their home court since 2021.
Match Results – No. 13 Texas A&M 4, A&M-Corpus Christi 0
Doubles competition (1, 2)
1. #7 Mary Stoiana/Mia Kupres (TAMU) def.
Emma Aucagne/
Naomi Moi McKenzie (AMCC-W) 6-0
2. Carson Branstine/Lucciana Perez (TAMU) def.
Kateryna Rublevska/
Valeria Cherfus (AMCC-W) 6-2
3. Nicole Khirin/Jeanette Mireles (TAMU) vs.
Palina Saulevich/
Victoire Delattre (AMCC-W) 5-4, unfinished
Singles competition (1, 4, 5)
1. #88 Carson Branstine (TAMU) def.
Emma Aucagne (AMCC-W) 6-2, 6-1
2. #1 Mary Stoiana (TAMU) vs.
Naomi Moi McKenzie (AMCC-W) 6-4, 0-0, unfinished
3. #26 Mia Kupres (TAMU) vs.
Valeria Cherfus (AMCC-W) 6-1, 5-1, unfinished
4. #45 Lucciana Perez (TAMU) def.
Palina Saulevich (AMCC-W) 6-1, 6-1
5. Jeanette Mireles (TAMU) def.
Kateryna Rublevska (AMCC-W) 6-1, 6-0
6. Daria Smetannikov (TAMU) vs.
Victoire Delattre (AMCC-W) 6-2, 3-2, unfinished
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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@IslandersTennis) and like their Facebook page (
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