April 23, 2009

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - After dominating the Southland Conference at No. 2 singles, senior Maria Gutierrez was named first team all conference as announced by the league office Thursday.

Gutierrez ran through the league undefeated at the No. 2 spot with a record of 11-0 in league play, while posting a season record of 19-2. Her 19 victories ties for the most in the conference this season.

With her 11-0 record in Southland play this season, Gutierrez kept the Lady Cardinals unbeaten streak at No. 2 singles alive for the second straight season. Last year her sister, Mariaryeni Gutierrez who played No. 1 this season, went unbeaten with a 10-0 record while Kaltrina Harbuzi was 1-0 at No. 2.

For her career Maria Gutierrez has a .833 winning percentage over four years, going 35-7 all-time in Southland Conference play. In addition to her accolades on the court, she is a two-time academic all conference selection and a two-time COSIDA District VI University Division second team selection.

Gutierrez and the Lady Cards tennis team closed out the regular season with a hard fought 4-3 victory over Texas A&M Corpus Christi on Sunday, now the two teams will face each other for the second time in a week when they meet in the first round of the Southland Conference Tournament.

Lamar, who earned the No. 2 seed in the SLC tournament for the second straight year after going 10-1 in conference play, will face No. 7 TAMUCC who went 4-7 in league play. The two teams will take the courts at the noon on Friday at the HEB Tennis Center in Corpus Christi, Texas.

The Lamar women have been the best team in the Southland over the last two seasons, dropping just two matches while compiling a record of 20-2. The Lady Cards won the SLC Tournament as the No. 2 seed last year, defeating Southeastern Louisiana in the championship match 4-2.

The winner of Friday's match will take on the winner of the match between No. 3 UTSA and No. 6 Sam Houston State which will also be played at noon. Match time for the second round is noon on Saturday.