Feb. 26, 2007
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THIS WEEK IN LOBO MEN’S TENNIS
The Lobos jump back into action after 19 days off, hosting I-25 rival New Mexico State, Nevada and Sacramento State this weekend. New Mexico takes on the Aggies Friday night at 6 p.m. followed by the Wolfpack at 4 p.m. Saturday. They close out competition with the Hornets on Sunday at 2 p.m.
IN THE RANKINGS
The UNM men’s tennis team fell three spots in the FILA/ITA rankings, moving from No. 65 Feb. 6 to No. 68, Feb. 13. The Lobos, still No. 68, are the third-highest ranked team in the Mountain West Conference, trailing No. 49 TCU (1-2) and No. 50 San Diego State (2-5). However, the Lobos have a higher win percentage (.600) and more wins than both of them. The only team UNM currently trails in the MWC scoreboard is Utah, which is 6-2 overall.
REVIEWING THE AGGIES
New Mexico State is 4-2 overall heading into the weekend. The Aggies started the season, losing at Utah and Utah State but have rebounded to win four straight.
Roman Stoisavljevic leads the Aggies in singles and doubles. Boasting an 18-6 overall singles record, he is 5-1 at No. 1 in dual matches. Stoisavljevic, pairing with Stjepan Beg, is 4-2 in doubles at No. 1. He was also named the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Week on Feb. 21.
SCOUTING THE WOLF PACK
Nevada is 5-5 overall, losing two straight to Saint Mary’s and UC Davis. The Wolf Pack put up a tough fight against 16th-ranked San Diego earlier this season, falling 4-3. They also played 74th-ranked Sacramento State, falling 6-1.
The wolf pack are extremely young, comprised of just two seniors, a sophomore and eight freshmen. Senior Guillaume Tonelli, 9-8 in singles overall, was playing at No. 1, going 4-4. However, in the last match, sophomore Benjamin David took his spot. David, who was 5-1 at No. 2 and 3 prior to that match, lost.
BREAKING DOWN THE HORNETS
Sacramento State, ranked No. 74 in the nation, is 3-2 overall. The Hornets have won two straight, both 6-1 victories vs. Cal Poly and Nevada. Their other win was over Eastern Washington while their losses were both to ranked teams, No. 16 San Diego at No. 75 Oregon.
Xavier Barajas-Smith is a perfect 4-0 at No. 1 singles for Sacramento State while Anton Stryhas is 4-1 in dual matches, including a 3-0 mark at No. 2. The Hornets are winless at No. 1 doubles but Roman Perez and Warwick Foy are 5-0 at No. 3.
HISTORY LESSONS
The Lobos have dominated their in-state rivals, holding an 84-0 all-time series advantage over New Mexico State. UNM has won six straight against NMSU, including a 6-1 win last year on the Aggies’ home court.
The Lobos are perfect against Nevada and Sacramento State at 1-0 and 2-0, respectively. The only meeting with the Wolf Pack resulted in a 6-1 Lobo win in 2002. The series with the Hornets started in 2005. New Mexico won 6-1 in the opener and 7-0 last year.
PERFECT PAIR
Juniors Kamil Pajkowski and Chris Parkes have been the perfect pair at No. 2 doubles, going 3-0 since teaming in early February. They aren’t the only undefeated duo in duals action however. When teamed with classmate Max Jones, Pajkowski is 1-0 at No. 1.
SOLID SIXES
The Lobos have been perfect at No. 6 singles through four dual matches. Junior Chris Parkes is 2-0 when playing at that spot, as is freshman Joe Nicolazzi.
ROUGH ROAD AHEAD
The Lobos have a tough schedule the rest of the season starting with an intense rivalry with New Mexico State. After that, they have up-and-coming Nevada, followed by No. 74 Sacramento State. The next weekend the Lobos have a rematch with No. 19 Boise State in Idaho.
New Mexico returns home March. 15-18, hosting Radford, Northern Arizona and 24th-ranked Minnesota. The Lobos finish the regular season with a tour of the top teams in Texas, visiting No. 16 Texas on March 24 and No. 18 Texas A&M March 25.
The Lobos compete in one of the toughest conferences, which boasts four top-75 teams. New Mexico will play six MWC matches on the road.