April 6, 2004
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UPCOMING: The No. 33 University of New Mexico women’s tennis team hit the courts with conference opponents, No. 19 BYU and Utah this weekend. UNM will take on the Cougars at noon on Friday at BYU’s outdoor courts in Provo, Utah before facing the Utes on Saturday, 10:30 a.m. at the Eccles Tennis Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.
A LOOK AT THE COMPETITION: BYU may prove to be the Lobos’ strongest competitor this weekend and in the MWC. The Cougars are currently ranked No. 19 in this week’s I.T.A. poll, a couple of spots down from their previous No. 17 ranking. In the MWC, BYU holds the top spot above second place UNM (13-3, 2-0) with an overall record of 18-4 and 3-0 in the MWC.
The Cougars boast several players on the national rankings list for singles and doubles. Barbara Kahnova is the highest nationally-ranked singles player in the MWC at No. 37 and the highest ranked in doubles at No. 12 with teammate Sofia Holden. Kahnova is also ranked nationally No. 33 in doubles with partner Hadley MacFarlene.
Last season was the second time in the history of the women’s tennis program at UNM, that the Lobos have beaten BYU. New Mexico edged the Cougars, 4-3, at the Lobo Tennis Center. BYU holds a 20-2 series advantage over UNM.
The Utes have had a tough season so far, losing 13 of their 19 matches to give them last place in the MWC ranks. In conference play, Utah is 0-3.
Last weekend, Utah finally ended its 10-match losing streak after defeating University of Portland 4-3.
The Lobo-Ute series record stands at 9-11 in Utah favor. Last season, UNM beat Utah, 6-1, at home.
LAST WEEKEND AT HOME: UNM completed its home schedule over the weekend with two wins over conference competitors, Wyoming and Colorado State. The Lobos stand with a perfect 7-0 home record for the 2004 season and the sixth perfect home record in the last eight years. The Lobos had no problem handling the Cowgirls and the Rams as they defeated Wyoming, 6-1 and swept Colorado State. 7-0.
SINGLES
No. 1: Freshman Iva Gersic and sophomore Maja Kovacek shared top-spot duties. Gersic played No. 1 singles against Wyoming and defeated Patricia Chien, 6-2, 6-1 while Kovacek took over No. 1 against Colorado State and defeated Emily Kirchem, 6-1, 6-2.
No. 2: Junior Tiffany Robertson was unable to capture a win at No. 2 singles, falling to Wyoming’s Yuliani Santi, 1-6, 6-4(10-7). Gersic made her way back to her usual No. 2 position against Colorado State. The freshman added a win to her record after beating Ram Carla Pallares, 6-2, 6-0.
No. 3: Junior Michelle Heidbrink found a win at No. 3 singles when she defeated Wyoming’s Jennifer Hancock, 6-0, 6-1. Robertson played at No. 3 singles against Colorado State and beat Charity Malone, 6-4, 6-2.
No. 4: Senior Sandy Lukowski and Heidbrink split time at the fourth position. Lukowski defeated Wyoming’s Karolina Rowinski, 4-6, 6-3(10-2) and Heidbrink had a 6-2, 6-2 win over Colorado State’s Tatyana Ugorich.
No. 5: Senior Tjasa Suvak and Lukowski also shared time at the No. 5 spot. Suvak defeated Wyoming’s Amy Senko, 6-0, 6-3. Lukowski captured her second win of the weekend, defeating Colorado State’s Alexandra Paganetti, 6-3, 6-3.
No. 6: Senior Maria Ruiz-Fabrega and Suvak each spent time at the No. 6 position. Both were victorious as Ruiz-Fabrega defeated Wyoming’s Andrea House, 6-3, 6-0 and Suvak defeated Colorado State’s Jasmin Singh, 6-3, 6-1.
DOUBLES
No. 1: The duos of Gersic/Ruiz-Fabrega and Kovacek/Lukowski each played a match at the top spot. Gersic and Ruiz-Fabrega showed solid play against Wyoming’s Rowinski and Chien, winning 8-3. Kovacek and Lukowski were strong as well, defeating Colorado State’s Kirchem and Malone, 8-0.
No. 2: Robertson/Heidbrink and Ruiz-Fabrega/Gersic also shared the No. 2 doubles spot. Robertson and Heidbrink beat Wyoming’s Hancock and House, 8-4, while Ruiz-Fabrega and Gersic defeated Colorado State’s Pallares and Singh, 8-1.
No. 3: Lukowski and freshman Nora Quintal teammed up for the first time this season at No. 3 doubles. The duo defeated Wyoming’s Santi and Senko, 8-1 while Robertson and Heidbrink took over the third spot against Colorado State and beat Ugorich and Paganetti, 8-3.
UNM IN THE RANKINGS: The Lobos are currently No. 33 in the nation in this week’s I.T.A. polls. UNM holds the second highest national ranking in the MWC behind BYU. The Lobos finished last season at No. 54 in the nation.
Two UNM singles players grace the national list this week. Maja Kovacek is ranked No. 73 in the nation while Iva Gersic makes her second debut on the singles rankings at No. 103.
The highest national ranking for UNM comes in the doubles team of Kovacek and Sandy Lukowski. The duo mark in at No. 25.
MWC TEAMS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
No. 19 BYUNo. 33 UNMNo. 48 UNLVNo. 69 San Diego State
AWARDS ON THE COURT: Sophomore Maja Kovacek (Pula, Croatia) was the last Lobo to receive the MWC Player of the Week honor (Feb. 26) after showing solid play against Oklahoma and Tulsa. The award was Kovacek’s second career honor and first of the season. Kovacek is the third Lobo to earn the MWC player of the Week honor this year. Other Lobos to receive the honor are freshman Iva Gersic and junior Tiffany Robertson.
Last season, the MWC awarded the Lobos with three Player of the Week awards which were given to Kovacek, Tiffany Robertson and Sandy Lukowski. As well, several Lobos received post-season accolades. Kovacek and Lukowski were both named to the 2003 all-MWC singles team. The two were named together on the all-MWC doubles team as well, along with fellow teammates Robertson and Michelle Heidbrink.
Most notably, Kovacek was named the I.T.A. Central Region Rookie of the Year, an honor that UNM had not enjoyed since 1997.
THE MWC CHAMPIONSHIPS: The 2004 MWC Women’s Tennis Championships are set to take place in San Diego, Calif., April 29 – May 1. For more MWC women’s tennis information go to www.themwc.com.