Southeastern Louisiana 4, Sam Houston State 3 - ResultsHUNTSVILLE, Texas – Southeastern Louisiana sophomore
Lucia Bustamante rallied from a set down to defeat Sam Houston State sophomore Khee Yen Wee, 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (10-8) to give the Lions a 4-3 victory over Sam Houston State in the women's tennis Southland Conference opener for both teams Saturday afternoon at the McAdams Center.
Southeastern (4-3, 1-0 Southland) won the doubles point and split the singles matches with the host Bearkats (5-4, 0-1 Southland). Southeastern snapped a two-match losing streak with the win.
"Today's win was the result of a total team effort," Southeastern head coach
Jason Hayes said. "I could not be more proud of how hard this group has worked the past three weeks. We had tough losses at Southern Miss and South Alabama, but our team remained focused on getting better each day.
"Sam Houston State is a first class program," Hayes added. "They competed hard and very little separated us today."
It was Bustamante's rally on the No. 4 court that carried the day. Hayes was proud of the effort of the Guayaquil, Ecuador native, who improved to 3-3 in singles play this spring.
"Lucia came from a set down and fought off match point to give our team the win," Hayes said. "That's something she will always remember."
Southeastern opened the match by sweeping the doubles point to take the early lead. At No. 1, senior
Renee Villarreal and sophomore
Dalina Dahlmans improved to 4-1 with a 6-3 victory over sophomores Carrie Casey and Mila Milanovic.
Bustamante and sophomore
Ceci Mercier (4-1) were victorious on the No. 2 court, outlasting Yen Wee and sophomore Fabienne Gettwart, 7-5. SLU sophomore
Dany Raygadas and junior
Margaux Kaltenbacher (4-3) completed the sweep with a 6-2 victory over freshman Ema Barkovic and sophomore Caitlyn Mitchell at No. 3.
Bustamante was one of three Lions to win in singles play. On the No. 1 court, Villarreal was too much for Gettwart in a 6-3, 7-5 victory. With the win, the Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico native improves her career singles record to 58-7, moving her into a tie for eighth place with former Lion Claudia Anwender (1991-94).
At No. 2, Dahlmans (4-2) outlasted Casey, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5). Southeastern fell in singles play in tight matches on courts 3, 5 and 6 to set up Bustamante's dramatic victory for the win.
Southeastern will continue conference play on Sunday, facing Lamar at 12 p.m. in Beaumont, Texas.
