NEW ORLEANS, La. – Having earned the No. 4 seed in the 2022 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Tournament, Alabama A&M (6-15, 5-4 SWAC) dropped a 4-3 heartbreaker to No. 6 seed Florida A&M (8-13, 5-4 SWAC) in the league quarterfinals and in an NCAA Division I women's tennis match on Friday, April 22.
 
Freshman Deja Brown (Spring Valley, Calif.) and senior India Woods (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) dropped a 6-2 decision at No. 3 doubles to Claudia Sumaiai and Susan Salinas before juniors Ximena Duarte Ramirez (Asuncion, Paraguay) and Camila Ruiz Diaz (Asuncion, Paraguay) evened it with a 6-2 win of their own over Haleigh Porter and Adrienne Clayton at the second spot.
 
It would be the Rattlers that would escape with the doubles point, however, as Aylen Hubeaut and Sierra Sandy just slipped past senior Jasmine Boyd (Marion, Ind.) and junior Neha Ghare (Pune, India) with a 6-4 decision at No. 1 to claim a 1-0 lead.
 
Woods would then knot it up at 1-1 with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Salinas at No. 6 singles before Sandy outlasted Brown 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 at the three spot. It would continue to be a back-and-forth affair as Ruiz Diaz earned a three-set win over Clayton, 3-6, 6-2, 6-0, only to see Hubeaut knock off Boyd 6-4, 7-6 (6-0) in a thriller at No. 1.
 
Trailing 3-2 and on the verge of being eliminated, Ghare would keep the Bulldogs hopes alive with a 7-6 (4-0), 6-4 decision over Sumaia at No. 5, leaving it to Porter and Ramirez to decide the match at the second position.
 
It would be an epic battle as Ramirez claimed the first set 7-5 only to have Porter answer back with a 7-6 (5-0) victory in the second set. The decisive third set would be just as tight as both went back-and-forth before Porter pulled out a 7-5 win to give FAMU a narrow 4-3 victory and berth in the SWAC Semifinals.
 
Alabama A&M closes out the 2022 campaign having posted a 6-15 overall record and 5-4 mark in the SWAC, good for the No. 4 seed.
 
NO. 6 SEED FLORIDA A&M 4, NO. 4 SEED ALABAMA A&M 3
Doubles
No. 1. Aylen Hubeaut/Sierra Sandy (FAMU) def. Jasmine Boyd/Neha Ghare (AAMU) 6-4
No. 2. Ximena D. Ramirez/Camila Ruiz Diaz (AAMU) def. Haleigh Porter/Adrienne Clayton (FAMU) 6-2
No. 3. Claudia Sumaia/Susan Salinas (FAMU) def. Deja Brown/India Woods (AAMU) 6-2
Order of Finish: 3, 2, 1
 
Singles
No. 1. Aylen Hubeaut (FAMU) def. Jasmine Boyd (AAMU) 6-4, 7-6 (6-0)
No. 2. Haleigh Porter (FAMU) def. Ximena D. Ramirez (AAMU) 5-7, 7-6 (5-0), 7-5
No. 3. Sierra Sandy (FAMU) def. Deja Brown (AAMU) 5-7, 6-1, 6-1
No. 4. Camila Ruiz Diaz (AAMU) def. Adrienne Clayton (FAMU) 3-6, 6-2, 6-0
No. 5. Neha Ghare (AAMU) def. Claudia Sumaia (FAMU) 7-6 (4-0), 6-4
No. 6. India Woods (AAMU) def. Susan Salinas (FAMU) 6-2, 6-2
Order of Finish: 6, 3, 4, 1, 5, 2