Albuquerque, N.M. – The University of New Mexico women’s tennis team finished up its third day at the UNM Fall Invite with six singles wins and two doubles wins. Maja Kovacek highlighted the strong Lobo performance today with one doubles win and one singles victory. The Lobos finished the three-day event with a 16-3 singles record and were 5-4 in doubles play.
“I’m very pleased with our results,” said head coach Kathy Kolankiewicz. “All of our players performed exceptionally well.”
The No. 1 doubles team of Maja Kovacek and Sandy Lukowski started off UNM competition today with a win over Houston’s Ani Longoni and Karine Urbin. The Lobo pair beat the Cougar duo, 8-6. Rachel Hatley and Maria Ruiz-Fabrega also competed in doubles action and were victorious over UH’s Sarah Flood and Sandy Blajer, 8-1.
The pair of Tiffany Robertson and Michelle Heidbrink were unable to get past Miranda Foley and Yolandi Terblanche of Houston and were beaten 8-6.
In singles play, UNM faced off against players from New Mexico State. Maja Kovacek, the current No.1 player for the Lobos, beat Stella Veerman 7-5, 6-2. The win brings Kovacek’s singles record to 11-1 for the fall season. In the No. 2 positon Tjasa Suvak defeated Lejla Porobic 7-5, 6-1.
Sandy Lukowski (#4) played Kate Hodge to two sets before beating the Aggie 6-1, 4-6, 6-1. The doubles team of Rachel Hatley (#5) and Maria Ruiz-Fabrega (#6) also had singles wins for the Lobos. Hatley beat Sandra Mayr by the same 6-1 score in two sets. Ruiz-Fabrega defeated Samantha Mayr handily, 6-1, 6-2.
Michelle Heidbrink, New Mexico’s No. 3 player, played in the final match of the UNM Fall Invite and capped of a strong showing with a three-set victory over Isabelle Mignot, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4.
The tournament this past weekend concludes the Lobos’ fall schedule. The team kicks off its 2003 season on January 19 at 4 p.m. against NAU at the Lobo Tennis Club in Albuquerque.q