BEAUMONT, Texas – The No. 3 seed Texas A&M-Corpus Christi surged back in singles play to defeat No. 6 seed Southeastern 4-1 in the opening round of the Southland Conference Tournament Sunday at the Beaumont Municipal Tennis Center.
With the win, the Islanders advance to Monday's semifinal round at 2p.m., where they will face No. 2 Northwestern State for a spot in the conference championship.
Southeastern seized early momentum in doubles play, taking courts No. 3 and No. 2 to claim the opening point and a 1-0 lead. A&M-Corpus Christi's lone doubles win came on court No. 1, where
Yana Mykytyn and
Kseniya Ramanouskaya delivered a convincing 6-1 victory, but despite the early hole, the Islanders quickly flipped the match once singles began.
Juliette Jalai set the tone in emphatic fashion on court No. 6, cruising to a 6-1, 6-1 win to even the match at 1-1. Her dominant performance provided the spark A&M-Corpus Christi needed, as the Islanders began to take control across multiple courts.
Mykytyn followed with a strong showing at No. 2 singles, dispatching her opponent 6-3, 6-0 to give the Islanders their first lead of the day at 2-1. Building on that momentum, Ramanouskaya extended the advantage with a 6-3, 6-1 victory on court No. 3, putting A&M-Corpus Christi one point away from clinching.
Adriana Jimenez Casado delivered that decisive point at No. 5 singles, holding steady in both sets for a 6-4, 6-4 win that secured the 4-1 team victory and sent the Islanders into the semifinals.
At the time of the clinch, A&M-Corpus Christi held leads on the remaining courts.
Leticia Tarocco captured the first set on court No. 1 and was in control early in the second, while
Josefa Fuenzalida was also ahead after taking the opening set on court No. 4.
A&M-Corpus Christi now turns its attention to a semifinal matchup against No. 2 Northwestern State, with a berth in the Southland Conference title match at stake.
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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