BEAUMONT, Texas – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's tennis bid for a Southland Conference championship ended in heartbreak Tuesday evening, as the third-seeded Islanders fell just short in a 4-3 loss to No. 4 Stephen F. Austin after a marathon title match at the Beaumont Municipal Tennis Center.
Originally slated for the day prior, the championship was pushed back to this morning at 10 a.m. and ultimately stretched into a seven-hour battle, concluding near 5 p.m. after multiple weather delays. When it finally ended, it was a familiar ache for the Islanders, who faced SFA in the title match for the second consecutive season.
The Islanders appeared poised early after capturing the doubles point, claiming victories at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles.
Yana Mykytyn and
Kseniya Ramanouskaya earned a 6-1 win on the top court, followed by
Adriana Jimenez Casado and
Viktoriia Sedova securing the point with a 6-4 decision at No. 2. The No. 3 match, where
Leticia Tarocco and
Josefa Fuenzalida led 5-2, went unfinished.
But the momentum shifted as singles play unfolded across a stop-and-start afternoon. SFA evened the match at 1-1 with a straight-set win at No. 4 before the Islanders responded.
Juliette Jalai delivered a strong performance at No. 6 singles, winning 7-5, 6-3 to restore a 2-1 advantage. SFA pulled tied things at 2-2 with a three-set win at No. 3, however, setting the stage for a tense final stretch with courts in decisive sets.
At No. 1, Tarocco battled back after dropping the second set but was edged in a tight third, 6-1, 0-6, 7-5, as SFA took their first lead of the match at 3-2. Mykytyn quickly covered to even the field at 3-3 with a gritty 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 win at No. 2 singles but moments later, the deciding point came at No. 5 where SFA sealed the 4-3.
Despite the result, the Islanders showed resilience throughout the championship run with another youthful lineup. This was A&M-Corpus Christi's sixth consecutive finals appearance.
After completion of the match, the All-Tournament Team was announced and Mykytyn/Ramanouskaya were the doubles pair honored while Jalai made the All-Tournament Singles Team for her performance at No. 6 singles throughout the week.
All-Tournament Team
Doubles
Yana Mykytyn and
Kseniya Ramanouskaya, AMCC
Singles
Juliette Jalai, AMCC
Sonja Rooth, SFA
Ksenia Mamontova, SFA
Antonella Taco, SFA
Ana Paula Chavez, SFA (MVP)
A&M-Corpus Christi Tennis
- 17 NCAA Tournaments
- 38 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
#ShakasUp
