April 9, 2004
Provo, Utah– The No. 33 University of New Mexico women’s tennis team (14-3, 3-0 MWC) battled to a 5-2 victory over Mountain West Conference front-runner No. 19 BYU (16-5, 3-1 MWC) this afternoon in Provo, Utah. Big win of the day came at No. 1 doubles where the No. 25 team of Sandy Lukowski and Maja Kovacek defeated the No. 12 nationally-ranked team of Barbara Kahnova and Sofia Holden, 9-8.
New Mexico won for the 12th time in its last 13 matches and earned its third straight victory over BYU. The Lobos were 0-20 agaisnt the Cougars before breaking through with a victory in Provo in 2002.
Kovacek, ranked No. 73 in the nation, also notched a big upset in singles play, defeating 37th-ranked Kahnova, 6-4, 6-2. Her victory helped the Lobos take four of the six singles matches.
Led by Kovacek and Lukowski, UNM swept the doubles competition. The No. 2 and 3 teams of Iva Gersic and Maria Ruiz-Fabrega and Michelle Heidbrink and Tiffany Robertson also were victorious.
UNM travels to Salt Lake City tomorrow to face conference foe Utah at the Eccles Tennis Center. Match time is set for 10:30 a.m.(MDT).
Breakdown Results
Doubles
1. Kovacek/Lukowski (UNM) def. Zahnova/Holden (BYU), 9-8
2. Gersic/Ruiz-Fabrega (UNM) def. MacFarlane/Boulytcheva (BYU), 8-6
3. Heidbrink/Robertson (UNM) def. Pike/Olswald (BYU), 8-6
Singles
1. Maja Kovacek (UNM) def. Barbora Zahnova (BYU), 6-4, 6-2
2. Iva Gersic (UNM) def. Sofia Holden (BYU), 6-4, 6-2
3. Lauren Jones (BYU) def. Tiffany Robertson (UNM), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
4. Olga Boulytcheva (BYU) def. Michelle Heidbrink (UNM), 4-6, 7-5 (10-2)
5. Sandy Lukowski (UNM) def. Rebecca Pike (BYU), 7-6, 4-6(8)
6. Tjasa Suvak (UNM) def. Hadley MacFarlane (BYU), 7-5, 6-2