Texans demonstrate accurate WAC rankings with win over SFA

HUNTSVILLE – Despite owning the best record of all Western Athletic Conference teams, the Tarleton tennis team was picked to finish third in the Southwest Division by the WAC coaches in the pre-conference poll. After Sunday, it’s clear the poll was flawed.

The Texans defeated the No. 1 pre-conference favorite Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks 5-2 in a neutral site match on campus of Sam Houston. It marked a weekend sweep for Tarleton in their first two technical conference matches, as they also beat Lamar on Saturday. The Texans are 5-0 against WAC teams this season, improving to 13-4 overall. SFA fell to 8-6 with the loss.

The reigning WAC Doubles Team of the Week showed out once again to start Sunday’s match. Deniza Marcinkevica and Martha Makantasi defeated Ai Noa Fabre and Zala Ule in the top flight 6-1. The Texan duo is now 4-0 as a pair, all in the No. 1 position.

The other two doubles matches were much more competitive. The doubles point was clinched in the No. 3 position by Celia Vaudiau and Faustine Palatte, thanks to their 7-5 win over Elena Bleicher and Ana Kouchnareva. This was their second straight win, improving to 5-3 this year. The No. 2 match went unfinished tied at 6-6 between Tarleton’s Jemi Aguilar-Elsa Boisson and SFA’s Nyah Kauders-Paula Cerda.

Tarleton took the first two singles matches to go up 3-0 in the team match, with Boisson winning in the No. 4 flight, Marcinkevica winning at No. 1. Boisson defeated Lucy Furness 6-4, 6-4 to improve to 11-5. Marcinkevica won her second straight to improve to 8-5 with her 7-6, 6-3 win over Kauders.

SFA got its first win in the No. 3 match, with Cerda defeating Makantasi 6-4, 2-6, 6-2.

Anna Davidson clinched the match for the Texans in the No. 6 position with her 6-2, 3-6, 6-0 win over Ule. Davidson is now 3-2 on the year.

Vaudiau won her 15th straight singles match to improve to 15-1 this year with her 6-4, 7-6 win over Bleicher at No. 5. SFA made it a 5-2 defeat with a win at the No. 2 slot, with Kouchnareva defeating Aguilar 6-2, 3-6, 6-4.

The 13-4 Texans have five matches left on the year, the next four coming at home. Next up is a date with UTEP on Friday at 10 a.m. CT at the Potishman-Lard Tennis Courts in Stephenville.