CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi men's and women's tennis teams will be seeking additions to their trophy cases this Saturday when they host UTRGV at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the Thomas J. Henry Tennis Center with multiple title opportunities.
The women (22-2, 7-1 SLC) will get going first at 11 a.m. against the Vaqueros (9-6, 6-2 SLC) with the chance to clinch the South Texas Showdown, presented by Rally Credit Union, for A&M-Corpus Christi. The South Texas Showdown is an annual institutional rivalry with UTRGV, and the Islanders are three points away from securing this year's competition currently with the 28-22 lead.
The men (19-4, 4-0 SLC) will follow the women's match at 2 p.m. against UTRGV (9-13, 4-0 SLC) in a first-place showdown as the winner will emerge as the SLC Regular Season Champions. The men will be going for their 13
th regular season title and 23
rd championship overall.
The men will also hold a special senior day presentation between doubles and singles play of their match to honor the senior class of
Nathan Favier,
Tom Berry, and
Harry Fouzas. It will be held at approximately 3 p.m.
The women, just one game back from first-place Northwestern State, could ultimately be fighting for a regular season title as well as the Lady Demons won't wrap their season until April 19.
"We are incredibly excited for the chance to battle tomorrow in front of our beloved hometown for a conference title!" said head coach
Steve Moore. "We have great respect for UTRGV, and we know this is going to be a dogfight match! We spoke today that talk means nothing and that confidence is earned through the hard work they've done since August! And I can promise you this: win or lose, this team has earned the right to play with confidence in this moment!
"We are also incredibly excited to honor these three great seniors, Nathan, Harry and Tom! These guys came and poured their heart and soul into this team as teammates, brothers, and Islanders! They were committed every day to building the best team culture, the best team unity, and they are three truly special young men! Their commitment to team lifted every person around them, and their character made a lasting impact on this team. We will fight every present point with intensity, and we will fight for these special guys."
Both squads defeated the Vaqueros once already this season in Edinburg. Under Moore, the women are 29-1 all-time over UTRGV while the men are 27-4 against the Vaqueros.
Live scoring will be available for both matches on IOnCourt.
A&M-Corpus Christi Tennis
- 17 NCAA Tournaments
- 35 SLC Championships
- 4 Top-40 National Rankings
- 3.0 GPA 43 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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