CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi tennis teams protected their home courts Tuesday in the South Texas Showdown, presented by Rally Credit Union, with the men opening the day with a 4-2 victory before the women followed with a commanding 6-1 win over UTRGV at the Thomas J. Henry Tennis Center.
The sweep added another chapter to the rivalry's one-sided history. Under head coach
Steve Moore, the women improved to 31-1 all-time against the Vaqueros and have now won 16 straight in the series, not dropping a match to UTRGV since the 2018 season. The men pushed their advantage to 29-4 all-time under Moore against the Vaqueros.
The men set the tone early in doubles and carried that momentum into singles to secure the morning victory.
Matthieu Coignet/
Mikel Garmendia opened with a 6-3 win at No. 1 doubles while
Ethan Dasset/
Josef Zapletal followed with a 6-4 victory at No. 3 to clinch the doubles point.
In singles,
Nicholas Niox Chateau delivered a steady performance at the top of the lineup, defeating his opponent 6-2, 6-2 at No. 1.
Etienne Marty added a 6-3, 6-2 win at No. 3, keeping the Islanders firmly in control.
Omar Suarez produced the clinching effort at No. 2. After grinding out a first-set tiebreak 7-6 (7-4), Suarez surged in the second set for a 6-1 finish to seal the team victory. Dasset was locked in a tight battle at No. 4, leading 7-6 (7-2), 5-5 when play concluded.
The women followed with another emphatic statement in the rivalry, using dominant doubles and depth throughout the singles lineup to remain unbeaten at 8-0 this season.
Yana Mykytyn/
Kseniya Ramanouskaya overwhelmed UTRGV 6-1 at No. 1 doubles, and
Adriana Jimenez Casado/
Viktoriia Sedova blanked their oppoinents 6-0 at No. 2 to secure the doubles point.
In singles,
Leticia Tarocco controlled the top court with a 6-3, 6-3 win. Casado cruised to a 6-3, 6-1 victory at No. 3, and Ramanouskaya rolled to a 6-2, 6-1 victory at No. 4.
Mykytyn showcased resilience at No. 2, taking the first set 6-2 before dropping the second 4-6, then regrouping to win the match tiebreak 10-5.
Juliette Jalai added another gritty performance at No. 6, rallying from a set down to defeat Valentina Urraco 4-6, 6-2, 10-8.
With the pair of victories, the Islanders once again asserted themselves in the South Texas Showdown, taking over the lead as an institution at 18-16 points. A&M-Corpus Christi's biggest all-time advantage in the annual rivalry series is in tennis.
The women will continue at home, welcoming Texas A&M-Kingsville to the Thomas J. Henry Tennis Center on Friday at 11 a.m. The men will face Oral Roberts Monday before returning home for the distinguished H-E-B Tournament of Champions next weekend.
A&M-Corpus Christi Tennis
- 17 NCAA Tournaments
- 37 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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