CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's tennis team opened conference play with a statement Saturday, setting the season's tone by defeating Stephen F. Austin 6-1 at the Thomas J. Henry Tennis Center in a matchup between last season's regular-season co-champions and a rematch of the conference tournament title match.
One year after SFA claimed the tournament crown, the Islanders flipped the script in the league opener, improving to 11-1 overall and 1-0 in conference with a dominant showing across doubles and singles.
"We're incredibly proud of these Islanders because they were simply tough fighter and brought huge hearts! The biggest matches you don't win from the outside with your shots, you win from the inside with heart, courage, and fight! These high character young women showed the hearts of lions today!" said head coach
Steve Moore.
A&M-Corpus Christi grabbed the early momentum by securing the doubles point. After SFA struck first with a win at No. 2, the Islanders answered emphatically.
Yana Mykytyn and
Kseniya Ramanouskaya evened the doubles tally with a 6-2 victory at No. 1.
Juliette Jalai and
Emma Bousquet clinched the point moments later, rolling to a 6-2 win at No. 3 to give the Islanders a 1-0 lead heading into singles.
In singles, the Islanders' depth proved the difference. Jalai extended the advantage with a dominant 6-2, 6-0 win at No. 6, and Ramanouskaya followed with a steady 6-2, 6-2 decision at No. 3 to make it 3-0.
The clinching point came on Court 4. With momentum building,
Adriana Jimenez Casado delivered under pressure, pulling away late in the first set and controlling the second for a 7-5, 6-2 victory to seal the match and give the Islanders an insurmountable 4-0 lead.
Josefa Fuenzalida added to the margin at No. 5 with a 6-3, 7-6 (7-2) win, battling through a tight second-set tiebreak, and Mykytyn capped the Islanders' singles run with a 7-5, 6-3 triumph at No. 2.
SFA's lone point came at No. 1, where
Leticia Tarocco drove back from dropping the first set but ultimately falling in the decisive third set.
A&M-Corpus Christi now improves to 13-9 all-time over the Ladyjacks.
The Islanders will look to go for an untouched weekend of conference play, welcoming Northwestern State Monday at 10 a.m.
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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