BEAUMONT, Texas – The Lamar University women's tennis team will kick off the 2019 fall season Friday at the Islander Open in Corpus Christi, Texas and hosted by Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The three-day event will run through Sunday afternoon and will be an individual format tournament. The tournament will serve as the season opener for both schools.
 
The tournament will allow the Cardinals' coaching staff an early-season look at a roster that boasts of just three seniors (Jasmin Buchta, Sanja Jolic and Bianca Vitale), three juniors, a sophomore and three freshmen.
 
The Cardinals are looking to continue the momentum from last season as they rallied down the stretch to work their way back into the Southland Conference Championships. Big Red finished 8-14 on the year, but closed the season winning four of the final six Southland matches to qualify for the tournament.
 
The six-team tournament field includes host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, UT Rio Grande Valley, UIW, UTSA, LU and Laredo College. The tournament will consist of five singles flights and three flights of doubles. Action is slated to begin at 9 a.m. each day weather permitting.