May 1, 2004
SAN DIEGO, Calif.- The No. 30 University of New Mexico women’s tennis team fell just short of capturing its first-ever Mountain West Conference tournament title after losing to 22nd-ranked BYU, 4-3, this afternoon at the Barnes Tennis Center. The Lobos did not go down easy as they clinched the doubles point in dominant fashion and played four of the six singles matches to three sets in the championship match against the second-seeded Cougars.
“We’re disappointed, but the loss can’t take away from our 20-4 record and No. 30 national ranking,” said head coach Kathy Kolankiewicz. “It’s bittersweet.”
Juniors Michelle Heidbrink and Tiffany Robertson defeated the BYU doubles team of Olga Boulytcheva and Lu Oswald, 8-6. The doubles point was sealed after the No. 23 tandem of senior Sandy Lukowski and sophomore Maja Kovacek crushed the 16th-ranked doubles duo of Barbora Zahnova and Sofia Holden, 8-2.
The real battle came in the singles round where UNM had to fight back after losing at the No. 6, 4 and 3 positions. Freshman Iva Gersic kept the Lobos alive as she defeated Holden 6-2, 6-3 at No. 2 singles while Lukowski tied the score 3-3 after beating Rebecca Pike, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 at No. 5 singles. The deciding point came down to the match at the No. 1 spot, between UNM’s No. 75 Kovacek and BYU’s No. 37 Zahnova. Kovacek went to three sets with the Cougar senior, but fell 6-7, 6-0, 6-4.
Despite the loss, Kolankiewicz received her first MWC Coach of the Year award at a ceremony after the match. “Coach of the Year is voted on by all the coaches in the conference,” said Kolankiewicz. “I think the award shows that the other coaches recognized how great UNM did this season.”
The Lobos still have a chance at receiving a bid into the NCAA Regional Competition, May 14-16. The women’s selection announcements will take place on Wednesday, May 5 on ESPNews at 2:35 p.m. UNM will also have a shot at sending individual players to the singles and doubles NCAA Championships, May 24-29. The women’s tennis committee will announce individual selections Thursday, May 6 when the selections are posted on the NCAA web site (www.ncaasports.com).
No. 22 BYU 4, No. 30 UNM 3
DOUBLES
1. Kovacek/Lukowski (UNM) def. Zahnova/Holden (BYU) 8-2
2. Macfarlane/Jones (BYU) vs. Gersic/Ruiz-Fabrega (UNM) 6-3, DNF
3. Heidbrink/Robertson (UNM) def. Boulytcheva/Oswald (BYU) 8-6
SINGLES
1. Barbora Zahnova (BYU) def. Maja Kovacek (UNM) 6-7,6-0,6-4
2. Iva Gersic (UNM) def. Sofia Holden (BYU) 6-2,6-3
3. Lauren Jones (BYU) def. Tiffany Robertson (UNM) 6-2,6-1
4. Olga Boulytcheva (BYU) def. Michelle Heidbrink (UNM) 6-1,6-0
5. Sandy Lukowski (UNM) def. Rebecca Pike (BYU) 3-6,6-2,6-3
6. Hadley Macfarlane (BYU) def. Tjasa Suvak (UNM) 6-4,6-0