The sun finally came out on Wednesday as fierce as the No. 35 Cougars as they swept the Texas A&M Corpus Christi Islanders, 5-0, at home.
“Houston is crazy… it’s supposed to freeze tonight; it can be 80 degrees right now and freezing tomorrow,” head coach Patrick Sullivan said. “I always feel like the change in conditions favor the tougher team.”
From start to finish, the Cougars certainly brought the heat, as it was their first time this season to hold their opponent scoreless.
Junior Rocio Martin started the day for the Cougars, picking up a 6-1, 6-1 victory over sophomore Islander Maider Martin, marking the fifth straight win for last week’s AAC Player of the Week.
Seniors Elena Kordolaimi and Charlotte Phillips earned the Cougars’ second and third win of the day as both defeated their Islander opponents dominantly with scores or 7-5, 6-2 and 6-3, 6-2, respectively.
Sophomore Tina Rupert clinched the match for the Cougars as her 6-4, 6-3 win gave her team four on the Islanders’ zero. The day would conclude shortly after as sophomore Despoina Vogasari grabbed a 6-2, 7-6 win and junior Maria Cardenas’ game was cut short after the Cougars emerged victorious.
“Corpus Christi is a team that fights really hard; we knew it was going to be a tough match,” Sullivan said. “They’re just a very well-coached, tough team that’s a tough out every time, but I thought we came out with the right intensity, and our attitude and effort were outstanding from every court.”
The teams didn’t play their doubles matches and, due to uncertainty about weather conditions, the game against Prairie View A&M is postponed.
The Cougars will face No. 52 Texas at 1 p.m. on March 3 at the Houston Country Club as they ride a five game winning streak.
