RUSTON – No. 1 Louisiana Tech gets its postseason underway Thursday morning as the Bulldogs face off against No. 9 Sam Houston in the Conference USA Women's Tennis Championship quarterfinals.
 
MATCH INFORMATION
Date/Time: Thursday, April 16 | 9 a.m. CT
Location: Adams Tennis Complex (Murfreesboro, Tenn.)
Live Stats: LATechSports.com/TennisStats
 
ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH (16-3)
Following a 16-3 overall record and a perfect 5-0 mark in league play, LA Tech looks to carry its momentum into the conference tournament as the top seed.  The Bulldogs have won 13 of their last 14 matches and are currently ranked No. 73 in the country.
 
Singles have been a big driving force behind LA Tech's success this season.  The Bulldogs are a combined 63-29 (18-4 against their five league opponents).  The team is led by reigning CUSA Athlete of the Week Zoie Epps who is 16-1 this spring from the No. 1 position, having won 13 in a row all via straight sets. 
 
Another key Bulldog in the singles lineup has been freshman Isabella Walker who clinched LA Tech's regular season finale at Kennesaw State.  The newcomer is 13-2 this season, playing primarily at the No. 6 position. 
 
Other steady contributors include Maria Tsironi and June Vigneron who both have tallied nine dual singles victories.  Vigneron has won four of her last five matches, all via straight sets.  Meanwhile, Tsironi has won seven of her last 10 matches.  There is also Mio Kozaki who is undefeated this season with a 7-0 record.  The senior has won 13 in a row, a streak which dates back to last season.
 
Doubles has been a key component to LA Tech's success as well, combining to go 31-14 while winning 13 of its 19 doubles points.  The duo of Tsironi and Alice were named CUSA Doubles Team of the Week after wins of 6-0 and 6-3 against Georgia State and KSU, respectively, in the last weekend of regular season action. 
 
The tandem has 11 wins this spring at the No. 2 position, the same number of victories as Epps/Walker which enters the tournament ranked 70th in the country (have been nationally ranked for almost two months).  This top duo has won four in a row and seven of their last eight.
 
ABOUT SAM HOUSTON (9-12)
It took almost three-and-a-half hours, but Sam Houston advanced in the tournament with a 4-3 marathon victory over WKU.  The Bearkats dropped the doubles point to the Hilltoppers, put pulled off singles wins on courts one, two, four, and ultimately court three that ended in a third set tiebreaker.
 
In dual singles, the Bearkats are a combined 46-50, anchored by Nayuma Subba who is 13-4 this spring while playing at the top position for Sam Houston.  It was Christine Jevicky who provided the clincher over the Hilltoppers, winning 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (7) for her third consecutive victory.
 
Meanwhile in dual doubles, Sam Houston is a combined 14-25, having won the doubles point just five times this season.  The pairing of Ella Fitcher and Aaliyah Johmann has been their most successful doubles team, going 5-3 at No. 2.
 
THE SERIES
LA Tech leads the all-time series versus Sam Houston, 14-12.  The Bulldogs have won three four over the Bearkats, including a 6-1 win in Huntsville earlier this season.  This will be the first time the two programs face off in the CUSA Championship. 
 
ABOUT CUSA CHAMPIONSHIP
The CUSA Women's Tennis Championship returns to Murfreesboro, Tennessee for the first time since 2022.  The event has been hosted by Middle Tennessee twice before (first time was 2016). 
 
LA Tech is 6-11 all-time in the CUSA Tournament, having played in the event 11 times since joining the league in 2013-14.  The Bulldogs are the top seed in this year's tournament for the first time ever (highest previous seed was No. 3 last season). 
 
The program has advanced to at least the semifinals in each of the last three tournaments, including last season when they upset No. 2 seed Middle Tennessee to reach the title game for the first time in program history.
 
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