TULSA, Okla. – After narrowly falling to host Tulsa 4-3 by dropping the doubles point, Louisiana Tech regrouped to defeat Southeast Missouri 5-2 on Sunday to close out the Hurricane Invite at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center.
 
LA Tech (2-1) and Tulsa (2-0) split the six singles matches on Saturday, making the winner of Sunday doubles the victor.  Both squads collected 6-1 wins, including Zoie Epps and Isabella Walker who teamed up to dominate 6-1 at the No. 1 spot.  After fending off a pair of match points on court two, the Bulldogs were unable to secure the win over the Golden Hurricane, falling 6-4.
 
The tough competition continued as the Bulldogs had to take on the defending Ohio Valley Conference regular season champions in SEMO (0-3).  LA Tech was able to secure this doubles point as Alice Brook and Maria Tsironi were 6-1 victors at No. 2, followed by the clincher from No. 1 with Epps/Walker winning three straight games to prevail 7-5.
 
Epps quickly made it 2-0 as the junior improved to 3-0 at the event following a 6-2, 6-1 win over Sofia Zemtsova at the No. 1 position.  Tsironi provided the third point for LA Tech with a 6-3, 6-2 win against Yontha Tadoum at No. 3.
 
After the Redhawks secured their first point on court two, Alice Brook claimed the clincher with a perfect 6-0, 6-0 victory versus Claudia Casas on court six.  Walker made it an undefeated singles weekend just like her doubles partner, giving the Bulldogs an insurance point with a 6-4, 6-0 win against Mia Mayerova on court five.
 
QUOTABLES
Head coach Amy Sargeant
 
"This was a great weekend of tennis for our team!  I was incredibly impressed with our mental toughness and physicality across the board.  We did an excellent job adapting to our opponents and finding ways to win.  We learned a lot about where we are right now, and even more about how we can continue to grow and improve moving forward.  Proud of this group and excited for what is ahead!"
 
"Huge shout out to our freshman, Isabella Walker, who went undefeated in singles winning all three matches and showing true grit and coachability in some very tough moments."
 
NOTABLES

• Zoie Epps and Isabella Walker both went 3-0 in singles at the Hurricane Invite.  Epps also went a perfect 3-0 last season in the same event and has now won seven straight matches at the Hurricane Invite.
• Zoie Epps improved to 39-12 all-time in dual singles.  The junior has won 34 of her last 39 matches dating back to her freshman year.
• Zoie Epps eclipsed 30 dual doubles victories as the junior teamed up with Isabella Walker to go 2-1 at the Hurricane Invite.
• Alice Brook registered her 20th career doubles victory.
• June Vigneron recorded her 20th career singles win.  The sophomore went 2-1 at the Hurricane Invite.

UP NEXT
LA Tech will play its home opener on Saturday, Jan. 24, taking on Southern Arkansas in a doubleheader.  First serve is set for 11 a.m. CT at the LA Tech Tennis Complex.
 
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