While it certainly isn’t the most ideal thing to have three head coaches in three years, it certainly seems as though The University of New Mexico women’s tennis team is showing no signs of slowing down. The signs they are showing? Signs of a ninth NCAA Tournament appearance for starters.
For Stephanie Wooten-Quijada, she might be the third women’s tennis coach at UNM in the last three seasons, but that’s certainly not a bad thing. Wooten-Quijada is looking for a second straight NCAA Tournament appearance herself after leading the UT-Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros into the NCAAs last year, winning the Western Athletic Conference Tournament. That title marked the first-ever WAC title for UTRGV (formerly Texas-Pan American) in any sport.
Now she will attempt to repeat that feat with the Lobos. “The choice to come to New Mexico was easy when you look at the great facilities and the great tradition that is here,” said Wooten-Quijada. “Our goal is always going to be to compete hard on the court, and in the classroom.”
Competing for a return to the NCAA Tournament for a second time in three years is a goal that will certainly be helped by perhaps the most veteran squad in the Mountain West. Five seniors dot the roster, and all have killer resumes to their credit. The headliners are three fourth-year seniors in Emily Olivier, Dominique Dulski and Rachana Bhat.
Just that trio has combined for 196 singles wins and 150 doubles victories in their three-plus seasons of playing. Olivier enters her final Spring with a 53-48 overall record in singles and 54-42 in doubles. Last year she excelled at the No. 2 singles flight, going 8-4 in the Spring. Whether she plays up at No. 1, as she did seven times a year ago, or remains at No. 2, her expertise (and her blistering forehand) will be counted on for certain.
Dulski has been a mainstay in the middle of the lineup over her first three seasons, going 11-9 in dual matches last year, coming off a 16-7 sophomore campaign. Dulski has won some major conference matches, including the 2015 Mountain West Tournament, and she earned All-Conference honors a year ago in doubles with Olivier.
Bhat has been solid as a rock in the bottom two flights with a 19-8 record in Flight 5 and a 23-3 record in Flight 6. Overall, Bhat has proven to be at her best in dual play, going an astonishing 42-12 in her first three seasons. Bhat, counting the Fall season, enters the Spring needing 19 more victories to hit 100 in her career, which would make her the just the fourth Lobo in school history. She enters the Spring already ninth on the UNM career wins list.
Two other seniors were transfers from a year ago, and both made themselves right at home. Ludivine Burguire, a VCU transfer, went 21-5 over the season, splitting most of her time between No. 3 and No. 4 singles. Where she has improved already in 2016-17 is in doubles, where her seven doubles wins in the Fall are slightly more than half her overall total for last year. Along with Burguire is Andrea Leblanc, who transferred to UNM from Morehead State. Leblanc led the team with 27 wins a year ago, including 11 in dual play. Leblanc last season spent time at both No. 1 and No. 2 in singles, giving UNM plenty of experience up and down the lineup.
With one spot seemingly open, it will come down to the lone sophomore Ruth Copas, who is already 25-14 in her brief Lobo career, and a pair of freshmen. Cassie Chung went 6-4 in singles and 2-2 in doubles in the Fall and Diana Wong went 4-3 in singles and 2-2 in doubles as well.
What won’t be easy is a schedule that will see UNM face several NCAA caliber programs and play just six matches at home. UNM opens up with Georgia and also has power five non-conference foes in Illinois, Colorado, Utah, Wisconsin, Arizona and Texas Tech. Along with regional foes such as Denver, the Lobos will get six straight games at home, including Minnesota, Northern Arizona, New Mexico State and UTEP out of conference and Utah State and Boise State in Mountain West play. The 2017 Mountain West Tournament is April 27-30 at UNLV.