Lobos Five-Match Win Streak Snapped by Denver
Box Score | 2017-18 Season Statistics
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The Denver Pioneers earned the doubles point on a clutch passing shot down the line, and then won three doubles matches to defeat New Mexico 4-0 in a match that was closer than the final indicated. The loss ended UNM’s winning streak at five and extended Denver’s to nine straight.
The Lobos finish their three-games in three-days stretch with a home match at 9:30 a.m. against Wyoming. That match is slated for the McKinnon Family Tennis Stadium, although predicted heavy winds could change that.
The doubles point turned on a single play. Prior to it, UNM won the opening match when Danielle Quevedo and Hsiang-Wen “Albie” Huang defeated the No. 23 team in the nation of Julia O’Loughlin and Gracia Mboko 6-1. That match was 2-1 UNM when Quevedo took a ball to the face as she was at the net. That seemed to light a spark in both her and Huang, who took the final four games.
At No. 2 doubles, Diana Wong and Natasha Munday lost 6-4, saving four set points before finally succumbing. That put the doubles point on No. 3 doubles. While that match was nearing conclusion, UNM’s Lauren Rich and Bronte Murgett were in a tight match with Bianca Mok and Camille Verden-Anderson, with Rich serving at 40-40 and down 4-3.
Rich served to Mok, and the two traded cross court shots for two rounds before Mok hit a powerful passing shot past Murgett down the line, clipping it and giving Denver a 5-3 lead, and Nok and Werden-Anderson won that match 6-3.
From there, Denver took three singles matches, all handily in clinching the match, although UNM looked to be in good shape in the other three matches.
Huang lost 6-1, 6-1 at No. 6 singles as Denver went up 2-0, and then Bronte Murgett saw her five-match winning streak end with a 6-1, 6-3 loss at No. 4. Denver clinched when Yue Lin “Polly” Chen saw her five-match streak end as well 6-3, 6-0.
UNM was up at No. 5 singles as Quevedo was leading 6-4, 3-3 and Wong was in a battle at No. 1 singles against the No. 59 O’Loughlin. Wong dropped her opening set 6-2 but bounced back with a 6-1 second-set win, and the match was 2-0 in favor of Denver with Wong serving when it ended.
The other match saw Ruth Copas trailing 6-3, 4-2, but she had a break chance in the seventh game that would have put the set on serve when that one ended as well.
The Lobos dropped to 8-7 overall while the Pioneers improved to 14-4.
NOTES: Quevedo now has the longest current winning streak at three … Huang’s doubles win pushed her to 16-10 on the season … UNM’s cumulative singles record dropped to 92-70 (.568) on the season.