Feb. 6, 2007
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THIS WEEK IN LOBO MEN’S TENNIS: The Lobos head to Colorado to take on 55th-ranked Denver on Saturday, Feb. 10 at 7 p.m. New Mexico, ranked No. 65 in the nation, has won two straight.
IN THE RANKINGS: The UNM men’s tennis team jumped eight spots in the FILA/ITA rankings, moving from No. 73 last week to No. 65 this week. The Lobos are now the third-highest ranked team in the Mountain West Conference, trailing No. 35 TCU and No. 49 San Diego State.
PREVIEWING THE PIONEERS: The Denver Pioneers, 2-1 overall, are coming off a 5-2 win over No. 56 Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas. They opened the spring season with a 4-0 shutout against Eastern Washington. Their lone loss, 3-4, came to No. 31 Minn.-Twin Cities. Denver takes on Montana State Friday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m.
The Pioneers are led by 21st-ranked Adam Holmstrom at No. 1 singles. Holmstrom is 3-0 in dual matches and 17-4 overall. In doubles, Denver is anchored by No. 44 Kalle Rosen and Timo Kienle. The tandem is 7-1 overall and 2-0 in dual matches. Holmstrom has also had success in doubles, teaming with Niklas Persson for a 14-4 overall record and 3-0 mark in dual matches.
HISTORY LESSON: The Lobos have had a lot of success against the Denver Pioneers in the past. They hold a 22-13 all-time series advantage. The two teams have met each of the last three years with the Lobos winning 6-1 in 2004 and 2005. Denver won last year, 4-3.
GRAEME GARNERS AWARD: Sophomore Graeme Kassautzki went undefeated in singles and doubles in UNM’s home openers, earning him this week’s Quest Student-Athlete of the Week honors.
Against the Huskers, Kassautzki paired with freshman Joe Nicolazzi at No. 3 for an 8-6 win that gave UNM the doubles point. His singles win over David Bendheim at No. 3 broke a 2-2 tie, leaving the Lobos one point shy of the eventual win. On Sunday vs. the Wildcats, Kassautzki and Nicolazzi were the first UNM doubles team to win (8-4), setting up the sweep. He stepped up to play No. 2 singles vs. Arizona and recorded a convincing 6-3, 6-4 win over Bruno Alcala.
Kassautzki is now 4-1 in singles this spring, increasing his team-high total to 18-5 overall. He is a perfect 2-1 in dual-match doubles and 12-6 overall.
PARKES PLAYING PERFECT: Junior Chris Parkes has been perfect in singles competition since joining the Lobos in January. Parkes, 3-0 overall, earned a 6-2, 6-0 win at No. 5 singles on Sunday vs. Arizona’s Jason Labrosse. He also has two three-set wins at No. 6.
FILLING BIG SHOES: Head coach Alan Dils asked his entire team to step up in the absence of 73rd-ranked Max Jones at singles and they responded. Playing without Jones vs. Arizona, all but one of the Lobos moved up at least one spot in the order. Of the five, four grabbed wins.