MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Top-seeded Louisiana Tech delivered a dominant performance Thursday morning, blanking No. 9 seed Sam Houston, 4-0, to advance to the semifinals of the Conference USA Women's Tennis Championship at the Adams Tennis Complex.
 
LA Tech (17-3) set the tone early in doubles, earning decisive wins on courts one and three to claim the opening point.  The Bulldogs carried that momentum into singles, securing straight-set victories on courts one, three, and six to complete the shutout of Sam Houston (9-13).
 
The duo of June Vigneron and Mio Kozaki struck first on court three, jumping out to a 3-0 lead and cruising to a 6-2 win.  Shortly after, the 70th-ranked pair of Zoie Epps and Isabella Walker built a 3-1 advantage on court one and never looked back, matching the 6-2 result to secure the doubles point.
 
In singles play, LA Tech wasted no time extending its lead.  The Bulldogs dominated early, posting 6-0 first-set victories on courts one, three, and six.  All three matches were tested in the second set, but each Bulldog responded.
 
Walker was first to finish at the No. 6 position.  After Isabella Garza evened the second set at 3-3, the freshman closed strong, winning three straight games to secure a 6-0, 6-3 victory and a 2-0 team lead.
 
Epps followed a similar path on court one.  With the second set tied at 3-3, the junior took control down the stretch, winning 6-0, 6-3 over Nayuma Subba to push the advantage to 3-0.
 
Needing one more point to clinch, Maria Tsironi delivered at No. 3.  The sophomore capped the match with a commanding 6-0, 6-2 win over Christine Jevicky, sealing the 4-0 decision.
 
QUOTABLES
Head coach Amy Sargeant
 
"I thought today we had a good start in doubles.  We came out very decisive and aggressive.  We had good energy from start to finish.  That set the tone early going into singles where we went up quick on three courts with 6-0 sets.  From there, it was just a matter of closing it out.  Excited about our opportunity to tomorrow."
 
NOTABLES

• With the win, LA Tech now leads the all-time series versus Sam Houston, 15-12.  The Bulldogs have won five in a row over the Bearkats.
• LA Tech improved to 7-11 all-time at the CUSA Tournament.  The Bulldogs have now advanced to at least the semifinals in each of the last four tournaments.
• The Bulldogs collected their 17th win of the season, tied for the fifth most in program history.  They have now won five in a row and 14 of their last 15 matches.
• Amy Sargeant improved to 51-21 as head coach of the Bulldogs.
• LA Tech improved to 12-3 in matches away from home (true road and neutral site).  That ties for the second most in a single season in program history (most since 2014).
• The Bulldogs won their 14th doubles point of the season (out of 20 matches).  They are 13-1 this season when winning the doubles point.
• Zoie Epps won her 14th straight dual singles match, tying her person record from last season.  She is now 17-1 this spring, having won all 17 matches via straight sets.
• Zoie Epps claimed her 53rd career dual singles win, which is tied for the third most in program history. 
• Maria Tsironi provided the clinching point for the third time this season (Stephen F. Austin and Texas State being the other two).  It was her 10th dual singles win of the spring, third most on the team.
• Isabella Walker won her fourth consecutive dual singles match, improving to 14-2 on the season.  The freshman is 10-1 at the No. 6 position.
• June Vigneron and Mio Kozaki teamed up for their second dual doubles win of the season (just their second completed match as a duo).
• Zoie Epps and Isabella Walker teamed up for their fifth straight dual doubles victory, improving to a team-best 12-4 this spring.  It was the 41st career win for Epps, which is tied for the eighth most in program history.

UP NEXT
LA Tech will face No. 4 seed Delaware in the CUSA Women's Tennis Championship semifinals on Friday.  First serve is set for 10 a.m. CT and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
 
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