KINGSVILLE, Texas (April 10, 2025) - In a tightly contested Lone Star Conference showdown between nationally ranked programs, No. 41 Texas A&M-Kingsville edged past No. 21 Lubbock Christian University 4-3 Thursday afternoon at the Javelina Tennis Courts, seizing the dual match in dramatic fashion with a three-set triumph in the final singles contest.
The Javelinas secured the doubles point behind wins at the No. 3 and No. 1 lines. The match began with TAMUK's Kaitlin Blount and Luna Jokanovic delivering a commanding 6-2 victory over LCU's
Oshini Herath and
Alexandra Luders at No. 3, followed by the Lady Chaps evening the score as
Mariia Koroleva and
Andrea De Bernardo rolled to a 6-2 win at No. 2. The doubles point came down to the top flight, where Guadalupe Tocci and Manuela Turolo clinched the early 1-0 advantage for the hosts with a 7-6 (7-3) win over the nationally ranked tandem of
Anastasiia Opolska and
AnaMaria Zoric.
LCU responded with a strong push in singles, quickly claiming three of the first four completed matches to take a 3-2 lead. Koroleva was dominant at No. 3, dropping just five total games in a 6-1, 6-4 win over Annalena Noll to even the dual. Herath followed with a straight-sets win at No. 6 over Andrea Landaeta, and Zoric added another for the Lady Chaps at No. 5 with a 6-4, 6-4 result against Turolo.
The turning point came on courts four and one. At No. 4, TAMUK's Annika Gomez rallied after dropping the second set to outlast
Maya Adler 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 and knot the dual at 3-3. All eyes then turned to No. 1, where Tocci and No. 43-ranked Opolska battled in a high-stakes finale. Tocci took the first set 6-2, but Opolska forced a third with a tight 7-6(7-4) win. In the deciding frame, Tocci steadied her nerves to prevail 6-4 and clinch the dual for the Javelinas.
Koroleva, Herath, and Zoric were key contributors for LCU, each notching convincing singles wins to keep the Lady Chaps in contention. Herath (11-2 in singles this season) and Zoric (17-3 in singles this season) each claimed their sixth consecutive win and each remain unbeaten in LSC duals (Zoric is 5-0 and Herath is 3-0). Koroleva improved to 17-6 on the season, matching Zoric (17-3) for the team lead in singles victories. LCU drops to 13-5 overall and 3-2 in LSC play, while TAMUK improves to 10-6 and 4-3 in conference action.
The Lady Chaps remain on the road Saturday and they stop in San Angelo, Texas to face Angelo State at 1 p.m. for an LSC dual.
