BEAUMONT, Texas -- Sixth-seeded Abilene Christian women's tennis snapped a four-match series losing streak to third-seeded Central Arkansas with a classic 4-3 comeback in the quarterfinal round of the Southland Conference Championship Saturday at the Beaumont Municipal Tennis Center.
Down 3-0 after losing doubles and singles matches at No. 2 and 3, the Wildcats won their last four matches at the No. 1, 4, 5 and 6 positions in advancing to Sunday's semifinal vs. tournament host Lamar. First serve between the seventh-seeded Cardinals and Wildcats is set for 2 p.m. Lamar today was a 4-3 winner over the second-seeded squad from New Orleans.
ACU's rally started with senior
Ileana Mocciola holding off Jaeun Lee at No. 4 for a straight set victory, 6-4, 7-5 (4), and then sophomore
Claire Fisher completed her comeback at No. 6 with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 triumph over All-Southland Conference competitor Sumomo Hamanga.
Sophomore
Andrea Guerrero also battled back from a set down to beat Maja Gledic, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 to tie the team score at 3-3. The match-clinching victory came courtsey of senior
Nini Memishishi at No. 1, where she topped Chunxi Xin in three sets, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (9).
The Bears shut out the Wildcats, 4-0, in a rain-shortened match in their last meeting on April 9. In that contest both Memishishi and Mocciola were defeated in straight sets by Xin and Lee, while unfinished matches at No. 3, 5, 6 all had the Wildcats dropping their first sets.
Two years earlier UCA was responsible for the Wildcats' lone loss during their 2019 Southland Conference regular-season championship. ACU lost 5-2 in Conway en route to a 10-1 record.
Sunday's second women's semifinal features fourth-seeded Texas A&M-Corpus Christi vs. eighth-seeded Stephen F. Austin, which upset top-seeded Sam Houston State, 4-2. The Islanders, meanwhile, blanked Northwestern State, 5-0.
Abilene Christian 4, Central Arkansas Bears 3
Apr 24, 2021 at Beaumont, Texas (Beaumont Municipal Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1.
Nini Memishishi (ACUW) def. Chunxi Xin (UCA) 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (9-7)
2. Fuka Nonoyama (UCA) def.
Maryjoe Crisologo (ACUW) 6-0, 6-1
3. Yada Vasupongchai (UCA) def.
Allison Stewart (ACUW) 6-1, 6-1
4.
Ileana Mocciola (ACUW) def. Jaeun Lee (UCA) 6-4, 7-6 (7-4)
5.
Andrea Guerrero (ACUW) def. Maja Gledic (UCA) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
6.
Claire Fisher (ACUW) def. Sumomo Hamanaga (UCA) 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
Doubles competition
1. Chunxi Xin/Fuka Nonoyama (UCA) def.
Nini Memishishi/
Ileana Mocciola (ACUW) 6-3
2.
Allison Stewart/
Claire Fisher (ACUW) def. Mei Ishimura/Yada Vasupongchai (UCA) 6-4
3. Jaeun Lee/Maja Gledic (UCA) def.
Andrea Guerrero/
Maryjoe Crisologo (ACUW) 6-4
Match Notes
Abilene Christian 12-12
Central Arkansas Bears 14-11
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (2,3,4,6,5,1)
2021 SLC Championships - Match 1
T-3:43 A-153
