April 20, 2004
Not only are the Lobos 2004 Mountain West Conference regular-season champions, but they are also high in the national rankings according to this week’s I.T.A polls. The New Mexico women’s tennis team (18-3, 7-0 MWC) sit at No. 28, a notch higher than its previous No. 29 ranking. Last year, UNM finished at No. 54 in the nation with a 15-9 overall record, 5-2 in the MWC.
Several individual Lobo players are on the national list. Leading the pack with the highest national ranking is the powerhouse doubles team of senior Sandy Lukowski and sophomore Maja Kovacek. The duo are No. 12 this week, the highest national ranking they have seen all season.
Before their No. 12 mark, the duo’s highest national ranking was at No. 16. The Lobo tandem started the 2004 spring schedule at No. 21 in the national rankings and never fell below the top-25.
The duo will be entering the MWC championships with an outstanding overall record of 25-6.
No. 1 singles player Kovacek and No. 2 singles player freshman Iva Gersic are nationally ranked. Kovacek boasts a No. 76 national ranking as she enters the MWC championships with an overall record of 21-10 and Gersic, No. 108 in the nation, enters her first MWC tournament with an incredible 25-8 record.
The UNM squad has two weeks of practice before traveling to San Diego, Calif. for the 2004 MWC championships, April 29-May 1. The Lobos will enter the league tournament as top seed.