Albuquerque, N.M. – The UNM women’s tennis team cracked its two-game losing steak with an important 4-3 win over Denver this evening at the Lobo Tennis Club. New Mexico was victorious at two doubles and three singles spots to earn the win, with outstanding performances by the No. 1 doubles team of Maja Kovacek and Tjasa Suvak as well as Michelle Heidbrink at the No. 3 singles spot.
The No. 11 regionally ranked pair of Kovacek and Suvak were predictably strong tonight against the Pioneers. The duo beat DU’s No.1 seeded pair of Yanick Dullens and Barb Kourim by a convincing 8-2 score. At the No. 3 spot, the Lobo pair of Tiffany Robertson and Michelle Heidbrink were brilliant against Jenny Trettin and Stephanie Ginsburg, overtaking the Pioneer duo by a score of 8-3. UNM dropped its doubles match at the No. 2 spot. Rachel Hatley and Maria Ruiz-Fabrega played Suzie Maksovic and Beth Messaros to a 8-8 tie, before dropping the tie-breaking set, 7-5.
In singles, UNM found itself up against stiff competition. Lobo sophomore Michelle Heidbrink had an impressive performance at the No. 3 spot. She handily defeated Jenny Trettin, the Pioneers’ No. 29 regionally ranked player, by a 6-2, 6-2 score. Tiffany Robertson had little trouble with her competitior, Stephanie Ginsburg, at the No. 4 spot. Robertson decisively put away Ginsburg, 6-1, 6-3 for her third singles win of the spring season. Rachel Hatley played two strong sets against DU’s Rossi Thomas for a 6-3, 6-3 Lobo win.
Maria Ruiz-Fabrega fell to Barb Kourim at the No. 5 spot this evening, 6-4, 6-1. Tjasa Suvak met the same fate as teammate Ruiz-Fabrega at the No. 2 spot for New Mexico. The junior played two extremely competitive sets, but was unable to get past Suzie Makovic and eventually fell, 6-4, 6-1.
In the last game of the evening, Maja Kovacek, UNM’s No. 1 ranked and No. 7 regionally ranked player, faced a tough match in Denver’s Yanick Dullen. Kovacek won the first set 6-3 and then fell to Dullen in the second by a close 6-4 margin. The tie-breaking set was played to ten. The two players went back and forth for more than seven points, exchanging leads, before Kovacek missed her final serve giving Dullens the 10-8 win.
The win against Denver improves the Lobos to 3-2 on the season and puts them in good position to face No. 46 Kansas at 12 p.m. Sunday at the Lobo Tennis Club.9