Jan. 22, 2009
Up Next For The Lobos…
The No. 49 University of New Mexico women’s tennis team (0-1) looks to even its record when it faces No. 43 South Florida on Saturday, in the Randy Briggs Tennis Bubble at the UNM Tennis Complex. The day will begin at 9 a.m. with doubles play and immediately followed by singles play.
What Have They Done Lately…
The No. 49 Lobos fell at home to No. 26 LSU, 4-3, on Jan. 19 in a hard fought season-opening match.
New Mexico came up short in its three doubles matches, giving LSU the advantage going into singles play. Duo Ola Abou-Zekry and Maria Sotirchos lost their match to No. 17 Megan Falcon and Mykala Hedberg 8-4. No. 54 Mackenzie White and Emma Hayman lost 8-5 to Whitney Wolf and Hannah Robinson. Sophomore Ashley Bonner – who was making her dual match debut – and partner Manumea Durie fell to Nicole Kantor and Staten Spencer 8-4.
White came away with a big win in singles play against Mykala Hedberg 2-6, 7-6, 10-7. Freshman Manumea Durie ended the day with a win against Hannah Robinson who retired in the middle of the second set.
Who Are The Bulls?
South Florida finished the 2008 season 14-6 and second in Big East Conference. The Bulls lost to Texas in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. South Florida returns eight letterwinners including No. 121 Jessica Zok. The Bulls are ranked No. 43 in the most recent Intercollegiate Tennis Association poll. South Florida is coached by Agustin Moreno who has compiled a record of 51-21 during his four-year tenure.
A Look At The Past…
The last time New Mexico played South Florida was April 8, 2001 at the UNM Tennis Club. The Lobos swept the Bulls 7-0 winning every singles match and two of three doubles matches. UNM has a 1-1 all time record against South Florida.
National Rankings…
The University of New Mexico start of the spring season ranked No. 49 according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association poll released Jan. 6. Other Mountain West Conference schools making the list are TCU at No. 25, UNLV at No. 39, BYU at 47 and Utah at No. 50.
National Spotlight…
Doubles team senior Mackenzie White and sophomore Emma Hayman begin the season tied at the No. 54 spot. Neither White nor Hayman have ever been ranked before. The duo compiled a fall record of 4-2.
Did You Know…
Six of the ten players on the roster are international. Two of the players are native New Mexicans. This past summer all of courts (indoor and out) were resurfaced along with the indoor courts all receiving new hardware. The Lobos have had a winning record for the past 12 years.The Lobos earned a 3.65 GPA for the 2007-2008 school year. Seniors Ola Abou-Zekry, Maria Sotirchos and Mackenzie White all received above a 4.0 for the 2008 fall semester.
Coaches Corner…
Head coach Kathy Kolankiewicz on the upcoming meet”We feel good coming off our loss to LSU. South Florida is a dangerous team because we don’t know a lot about them. They were ranked between 25-40 last year so we expect a battle.”