Feb. 22, 2005
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THIS WEEK…
After capturing two big wins at the Lobos Tennis Club last weekend, one over 24th-nationally ranked Oklahoma, the No. 30 University of New Mexico women’s tennis team charges ahead with fresh confidence to Las Vegas, Nev. Feb. 25-27 for the UNLV Spring Invitational. In the first round of the tournament, the Lobos (4-3) will face the Texas Tech Red Raiders (0-4) on Friday, Feb. 25 at 11 a.m. (MST).
New Mexico is one of four nationally ranked teams participating in the invite, including No. 15 Tulane, No. 21 Fresno State and tournament host No. 48 UNLV. Other opponents include Cal State Northridge, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and Northern Arizona.
The invitational will run Friday through Sunday at UNLV’s Fertitta Tennis Complex in a bracket format with the championship match concluding the tournament on Sunday at noon (PST). First through eighth place will be determined by playing four matches a day. Here is a rundown of this weekend’s schedule:
UNLV Spring Invitational Bracket
Friday, Feb. 25:
10 a.m. (PST) Tulane vs. Cal State Northridge
10 a.m. (PST) New Mexico vs. Texas Tech
2 p.m. (PST) Fresno State vs. Oklahoma State
2 p.m. (PST) UNLV vs. Northern Arizona
Saturday, Feb. 26:
10 a.m. (PST) WINNERS’ BRACKET
2 p.m. (PST) LOSER’S BRACKET
Sunday, Feb. 27:
9 a.m. (PST) TBD
9 a.m. (PST) TBD
Noon (PST) TBD
At last year’s event, then-No. 14 Fresno State defeated No. 27 Tulane in the final while UNLV earned third place with a 4-1 win over Washington State.
The last time New Mexico competed at the UNLV Invite was during the 2002-03 season. The Lobos defeated Loyola Marymount in the first round and went on to fall in the second round against Oklahoma. In the third round, New Mexico came out victorious over Cal State Northridge to place third in the tournament.
Match results will be posted on www.unlvrebels.com at the end of each day. For complete New Mexico match recaps and results check www.golobos.com.
TEAM NATIONAL RANKINGS…
The win over No. 24 Oklahoma last weekend gave the Lobos an extra boost in the ITA team national rankings this week as New Mexico moved from No. 33 in the nation to No. 30. At No. 30, UNM still remains as the second highest ranked team in the Mountain West Conference behind BYU (6-1) who was ranked No. 22 for the second week in a row. UNLV (1-0) dropped from its previous No. 46 ranking to No. 48 while San Diego State (3-2) remains as the 69th-nationally ranked team.
The next team national rankings will be released on Tuesday, March 1.
The 5th-nationally ranked doubles team of Maja Kovacek and Iva Gersic |
LOBOS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS…
After facing stiff competition in the beginning of the season at the National Team Indoor Championships, top singles player Maja Kovacek didn’t slide down too far in the rankings list as she was given a No. 35 ranking by the ITA this week. The New Mexico junior has showed great strength at the No. 1 position and is currently 17-4 overall in singles play.
Kovacek is not the only MWC singles player featured in the rankings. UNLV’s Elena Gantcheva is making some noise as the 21st-nationally ranked sinlges player for the Rebels.
In the doubles rankings, Kovacek and Iva Gersic moved down from No. 4 to No. 5. They are still by far the highest ranked doubles team in the MWC with the next conference doubles team ranking in at No. 44 (BYU’s Lauren Jones and Dolly Chang). No other MWC schools feature a ranked doubles team.
New individual rankings (singles and doubles) will be released on March 8.
A LOOK AT TEXAS TECH…
Texas Tech is 0-4 on the season after facing Oregon, San Diego State, Rice and Houston.
In the all-time series between Texas Tech and UNM, Texas Tech leads 8-7, but the last time the two teams met in the spring of 2003 New Mexico won 6-1.
The strongest player for the Red Raiders has been at the No. 3 singles position. Janet Durham has captured two wins at the third spot so far this season, the most of any Red Raider.
The No. 2 doubles team of Katja Kovacic and Lakann Wagley have been the best pair for Texas Tech as they have captured two wins at the No. 2 spot.
For more information on the Texas Tech women’s tennis team visit www.texastech.com.
LAST WEEK: UNM PROVES IT STILL RULES THE BUBBLE…
Albuquerque, N.M.-The No. 33 University of New Mexico women’s tennis team cruised to a 7-0 victory over Montana State Friday evening at the Lobo Tennis Club. It is the first home victory of the season for the Lobos who improve to 3-3.
New Mexico breezed through the doubles portion, capturing definitive wins at all three positions. Some changes were made to the lineup with seniors Michelle Heidbrink and Tiffany Robertson pairing up for the first time this season at No. 2 doubles and sophomore Nora Quintal and freshman Lucy Scott making their first appearance as a duo at the No. 3 spot.
In singles, New Mexico chipped away at the competition winning at all six matches. Heidbrink’s match against MSU’s Vera Vasileva at No. 3 singles was the last match to finish. The Lobo senior battled hard in the second set and eventually won when Vasileva double-faulted on match point.
(vs. No. 24 Oklahoma) Albuquerque, N.M.- In front of a large crowd at the Lobo Tennis Club, the No. 33 University of New Mexico women’s tennis team upset central region foe and 24th-nationally ranked Oklahoma today, 6-1. New Mexico improves its record to 4-3 on the season, 2-0 at home, while Oklahoma drops to 5-3.
Lobos maintained their winning momentum from yesterday in the doubles portion of the match, winning at the No.1 and 3 positions. At the No. 1 spot, UNM’s No.4-nationally ranked doubles team of Maja Kovacek and Iva Gersic captured a convincing 8-2 win over OU’s Bethany Griffin and Jessica Braver. UNM’s No. 3 team of Nora Quintal and Lucy Scott defeated OU’s Irina Lykina and Christi Baxley, 8-4.
UNM won 5 of its 6 singles matches to carry the second half of the match. The Lobos dominated at the No. 1,2,3,4 and 6 slots, with each match only going into two sets.
The victory over Oklahoma expands New Mexico’s home winning streak to 20-0. The Lobos have won 25 of their last 27 home matches.
Sophomore Nora Quintal |
MWC PLAYER OF THE WEEK NOMINEE…
Sophomore Nora Quintal had an excellent showing over the weekend at the Lobo Tennis Club, leading the No. 33 UNM women’s tennis team to victories over Montana State and 24th-nationally ranked Oklahoma for its first two home wins of the season. Quintal dominated in both matches at No. 4 singles and helped the Lobos pick up the doubles point in each match-up with stellar play at No. 3 doubles. The Veracruz, Mexico native currently holds a 15-6 overall record in singles. It is the third best singles record on the team.
THIS COULD WORK…The Lobos seemed to finally have a breakthrough in the doubles department after winning the doubles point in both their matches last weekend. The doubles lineup had been a concern for the New Mexico squad at the beginning of the season, but with a few changes made at the No. 2 and 3 positions, the Lobos look like they will be tough to beat in doubles once again.
At No. 1 doubles, the 5th-nationally ranked duo of Maja Kovacek and Iva Gersic remain as UNM’s top doubles team and are no cause for concern. They have been dominant so far this season at the No. 1 position and currently hold a 6-1 record in spring play, 19-4 overall.
At No. 2 doubles, seniors Michelle Heidbrink and Tiffany Robertson were paired for the first time this season in the games against Montana State and No. 24 Oklahoma last weekend. The duo split a pair of matches, defeating a Montana State duo and falling to an Oklahoma doubles team.
New Mexico has seen great things from the tandem before as they collected an overall doubles record of 29-6 during the 2003-04 season, playing mostly at No. 3 doubles.
At the No. 3 position, sophomore Nora Quintal and freshman Lucy Scott were brought together for last weekend’s dual matches. It was the first time the two have played doubles together, but that didn’t stop them from winning both of their matches.