Islanders Women Claim 2016 Southland Tournament Title
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NACOGDOCHES, Texas – No. 1 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (24-0) defeated third-seeded Northwestern State (13-11), 4-2, in the 2016 Southland Conference Women's Tennis Tournament championship match Sunday afternoon in Nacogdoches, Texas. The Islanders women earned their second league tournament title in the past three years and have claimed the school’s first perfect season.
The Islanders got off to an early lead after identical 6-1 wins at the No. 2 and No. 3 spots. The No. 2 Islanders pair of Celia Rodriguez and Maider Martin topped Lady Demons’ netters Polina Mutel and Iryna Vardanian. At third doubles, Islanders duo Hortense Boscher and Alexandra Belle defeated Barbora Kollarova and Alzbeta Veverkova. A&M-Corpus Christi’s No. 1 pair of Judit Vives and Jelena Dzinic was leading Natalya Krutova and Polina Ivanova, 3-2, when the Islander clinched the doubles point.
In singles play, Northwestern State grabbed wins at the No. 2 and No. 4 positions while the Islanders earned victories at the first, fifth, and sixth spots to clinch the match. At No. 5 singles Islanders’ Martin won 6-1, 6-3 against NSU’s Kollarova. The Lady Demons won their first match as Ivanova topped Rodriguez 6-4, 6-1 in the fourth flight. Islanders’ netter Kerry Galhos defeated Veverkova 6-2, 6-1 at No. 6. Vardanian scored NSU’s final point at No. 2 with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Dzinic just before No. 1 Boscher clinched the Islanders victory, defeating Krutova 6-1, 7-6, (7-3). NSU’s Mutel was leading the No. 3 match when the Islanders clinched the win.
The Islanders now have two tournament titles on the women’s side, with the first coming in 2014. The title caps off a perfect 24-0 season (11-0 in conference) which is a first for any of the school’s programs.
With the tournament win A&M-Corpus Christi receives the Southland's automatic bid into the NCAA championship. The selection show for the 2016 NCAA Women's Tennis Championship will take place next Tuesday, May 3 at 5:00 p.m. CST and can be watched live on NCAA.com. First and second round NCAA competition will be held at regional sites on campuses around the nation, with 16 women's teams advancing to Tulsa, Oklahoma for the NCAA championship hosted by Tulsa May 19-30.
For more information regarding results, records and more please visit Southland.org.