Stephen F. Austin
University of the Incarnate Word
SFA Posts 4-3 Southland Conference Win over Incarnate Word in 2018 Finale
4/22/2018 5:22:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Cerdan's singles win seals Ladyjacks' second and final league victory of 2018
HUNTSVILLE, Texas - The Stephen F. Austin women's tennis team closed out its 2018 season on a winning note by posting a 4-3 Southland Conference win over Incarnate Word Sunday afternoon at the McAdams Tennis Center on the campus of Sam Houston State.
"For the whole season we've been working to finish the job and today we did that," remarked SFA head coach Jon McLaughlin. "Getting to that third point was something we did frequently but securing that fourth point was challenging at times. I was proud of the way we battled back in doubles and the way Armelle [Cerdan] rallied in her singles match to push us over the hump."
After the Cardinals raced out to an early lead in doubles action by way of a 6-4 win on the third line, the Ladyjacks rallied back. Gabi Guilarte and Darinka Tiboldi bested Matea Zemunik and Victoria Kareh on the top line by a 7-5 tally. SFA's duo rallied in the set, denying four match point tries by Incarnate Word.
Kaja Ljubic and Armelle Cerdan completed the Ladyjacks' doubles point victory with a 6-4 win over the Cardinals on line two.
The Ladyjacks' lead increased further after Guilarte took down Zemunik 6-1, 6-3 in number one singles. Tiboldi upped SFA's advantage to 3-0 with a 6-2, 6-1 triumph over Jelena Dordan in the number-two singles slot.
Incarnate Word broke up the Ladyjacks' shutout bid when Alejandra Landaluce notched a 6-3, 7-6 (6-4) win when matched up against Ljubic in the number-five singles match before Cerdan notched the Ladyjacks' third and final win of the season.
SFA's sophomore fell to Sara Djurdjevic by a 6-3 tally in the opening set of her fourth-flight singles match before beginning her comeback with a 6-4 win in set two. Through the third and final set, Djurdjevic won only two games as Cerdan completed her come-from-behind victory with a 6-2 triumph.
That sealed the deal for the Ladyjacks who finished the season in a three-way tie for 10th place in the Southland Conference standings with Southeastern Louisiana and Nicholls.
"We did not accomplish some of our goals this season, but this result is a positive building block as we look ahead toward the spring of 2019," McLaughlin finished. "Finding a way to finish the job today will serve us well in the future."
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