ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Despite dropping the doubles point, New Mexico basically swept away the singles matches, getting five wins as the Lobos defeated Rio Grande Rivalry opponent New Mexico State 5-2 to win its second straight match, giving the team much needed momentum heading into conference play.
The win came just 24 hours after a 4-0 sweep of UTEP on Friday. With the weather breaking, the NMSU match took place at the McKinnon Family Tennis Stadium in front of a large crowd of fans, and a few curious onlookers from the State High School Cheerleading Championships, being held in WisePies Arena.
UNM dropped the doubles point despite picking up a win at No. 2 doubles from Emily Olivier and Diana Wong, who won 6-3. UNM dropped a 6-4 decision at No. 1 doubles, and then fell 6-4 at No. 3, giving New Mexico State a 1-0 lead.
It didn’t last long.
Diana Wong delivered the first bagel of the season for the Lobos, drilling Marie-Pier Thiffault 6-0, 6-0 and giving her a team-best fifth consecutive win. In fact, Wong hasn’t lost since February 17, and that winning streak doesn’t count yesterday’s match, her first at No. 3 in which she was up 6-2, 3-1.
Wong’s match tied it, but mere seconds later, Dominique Dulski gave the Lobos the lead for good with a dominating 6-2, 6-0 win at No. 3. For Dulski, who once again immediately put her foot in a walking boot, it was her third straight win, all in straight sets. Cassie Chung, who had her match delayed 15 minutes due to an issue with the net on court six, won easily 6-1, 6-2 over Gabrielle Joyce. Joyce wasn’t slated to play singles, but a late change removed regular No. 1 player Rimpledeep Kaur out of the lineup and every Aggie up one spot, and Joyce moved to No. 6 singles.
That made it 3-1, and Rachana Bhat clinched it with a 6-2, 6-1 win at No. 5 singles. Once that match was done and the win guaranteed, Ludivene Burguiere retired from her match with it tied 6-0, 4-6 to save some wear-and-tear on her injured wrist. That left No. 2 singles to finish, and Ruth Copas closed out Rebecca Keijzerwaard 6-3, 6-3 for a 5-2 win.
The Lobos, who are a pair of tough 4-3 losses away from a four-match winning streak, now have a week off before opening conference play with Utah State and Boise State on Friday, April 7 and Sunday, April 9.
NOTES: New Mexico improved to 35-6 all-time against New Mexico State … women’s tennis earned 1.5 points for the Rio Grande Rivalry, which UNM has already clinched for the 10th straight year. UNM now leads 18.5 – 6.75 with three more contests left, two baseball games (0.50 points each) and one softball game (0.75 points) … Copas’s win at No. 2 singles was only UNM’s second at that flight all season.
Two Straight for Women’s Tennis, Win 5-2 Over NMSU
