What a weekend it has been for the Wildcats’ Women’s tennis team at home. They won 6-1 over Lamar on Friday and won 5-2 over Texas A&M Corpus-Christi, remaining undefeated against the Southland Conference at 8-0.
The Wildcats are 12-8 overall and will finish the remainder of their spring season on the road over the next two weekends, against first-place Northwestern State, third-place Central Arkansas and sixth-place McNeese.
On Friday the Wildcats started by winning their sixth doubles point in seven tries. The No. 1 ACU duo of sophomore Nini Mishishi and junior Sarah Adams made quick work of Lamar’s Butcha and Vossgaetter. Meanwhile the No. 2 duo of sophomore Ileana Mocciola and senior Autumn Bellow followed with a 6-2 win over Vitale and Molina.
ACU reached a 3-0 advantage as both is No. 1 and 2 line players Memishishi and Adams each won in straight sets.
However the clinching point was when senior Jordan Henry, at the No. 4 position, battled and defeated Vossgaetter, 6-1, 5-7, 6-1 for her team-leading 12th win of the spring. Mocciola then scored the Wildcats’ fifth point beating Sola Grau and freshman Allison Stewart capped ACU’s score with a 5-7,6-2, 7-6 (9-7).
Henry says it’s always great to get a win for the team, especially against such a tough team .
“The great thing about this sport,” Henry said, “is that an individual victory also a team victory.”
On Sunday, the women won the doubles point followed by four single victories with the match-clinching point earned by freshman Allison Stewart at the No. 5 line iver Kageyama. Stewart won all four of her matches during this homestand and remains 8-0 against Southland opposition. She also helped the Wildcats score the doubles point as she and Henry held off Townsend and Reinicke, 6-4.
The first doubles victory was won by Memishishi and Adams, who toppled Bulatovic and Shumeika, 6-2, for their 13th win together, this Spring. Memishishi posted an amazing comeback at No.1 singles, battling back from a first-set shutout (0-6) to beat Bulatovic over the next two sets, 6-4 and 7-5. The win evened her 11-11 spring record.
The two remaining singles wins came from Bellow and Mocciola. Bellow defeated Kato, 6-2, 6-3, for No. 10 on the year, while Mocciola earned her seventh conference victory over Maldonado, 6-2, 6-4.
ACU is scheduled to play Friday and Sunday at 11 a.m. at Northwestern State and Central Arkansas, and on April 20th vs. McNeese.
Meanwhile, Abilene Christian men’s tennis team had a successful victory at home this weekend. On Thursday the men won 5-2 over Lamar and then again, on Saturday against Texas A&M Corpus Christi.
ACU’s edge in doubles was thin with the No. 1 and 3 team winning, 7-6 (4) and 7-5. The No. 2 doubles match featured junior Jackson Fine and senior Cole Lawson was left at 6-6.
Junior Nikolas Moceanu and freshman Riley Tran were first off the court, with their fourth-straight win, against Taylor and Lauer. At No. 1, the Sheehy brothers, Jonathan and Josh, triumphed in a tie breaker. This was the first doubles match to feature siblings since their March 13 win at Florida A&M.
Moceanu says Tran and him have always made a good team.
“We can feed off of each other’s energy and I feel like that really helps us in big moments,” Monceanu said, “I was really happy with our performance.”
The Wildcats went 2-0 when sophomore Akinori Wada’s six-line win over Lauer and 3-1 lead after Josh Sheehy held off Antuna at the top position.
The final three matches were all decided in the third set. Tran scored the match-clinching point, for his 12th win of the season, battling No.5 to beat Taylor, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3. Freshman Dimitirs Azoides lost to Serafim, but Moceanu rallied from a set down to top Canal.
ACU men’s tennis won its 18th match of the spring season and fourth-straight against Southland Conference after Saturday’s win against the Islanders.
The Wildcats now need to win their last league match at home, this upcoming Friday, April 12th against last year’s defending champions, Incarnate Word, in order to take their second league regular-season title.
On Saturday, the Wildcats had to battle for the doubles point. The sibling battle occured between the Sheehy brother upside the Kellermans, 7-5, and at No. 3 Moceanu and Tran pulled off a comeback to defeat Pedrosa and Frumholz, 7-5.
Josh and Jon Sheehy have won their last four doubles matches together improving their 6-4 record, while Moceanu and Tran own the team’s best of 7-1.
Going into singles, the Sheehys quickly won, giving a 3-0 lead, with back-to-back straight-set decisions at the top-two positions. Jon defeated Rodriques, 6-4, 6-1, while Josh beat Mottett, 6-4, 7-5 .
The Wildcats then dropped their next two points at No. 3 and 4, with Wada and Tran each bouncing back in their third set. Wada held off Frumholz, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5, while Tran followed with a 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 win over Kellerman.
