Feb. 13, 2009
Up Next For The Lobos…
The No. 49 University of New Mexico women’s tennis team is set to take on the No. 40 Pepperdine Waves on Sunday at 1 p.m. (Mountain) at the Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center in Malibu, Calif. Both New Mexico and Pepperdine have a season record of 2-4.
Who Are The Waves?
Pepperdine is 2-4 on the season and is coming off a 4-3 loss to San Diego State on Feb. 10. The Waves return four letterwinners from last year’s team that finished 20-7 overall and 7-0 (first place) in the West Coast Conference. Pepperdine advanced to the Round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament where it fell to USC. The Waves are coached by Gualberto Escudero who holds a record of 563-274 in his 31 seasons.
Last Time Against the Waves…
The last time these teams met was March 17, 2007. The Lobos fell to the Waves 5-2. Ola Abou-Zekry captured one of New Mexico’s points by defeating No. 94 Sylvia Kosakowski, 6-0, 7-5. Mackenzie White also came away with a win at the No. 3 position over Eva Dickes, 6-3, 6-1. New Mexico has a 0-8 all-time record against Pepperdine.
Moving Up The Rankings…
With her weekend sweep in singles play senior Ola Abou-Zekry is now only three wins away from breaking into New Mexico’s top-16 for most career singles wins.
Strength of Schedule…
Lobos have started out with a very tough schedule. New Mexico has already played four teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament last year. Five opponents are ranked in the top 50 of the ITA poll and six finished the 2008 season with winning records.
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. 21, BYU at 42, UNLV at No. 50 and Utah at No. 51.
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…
“Pepperdine is solid team that plays well on their home courts. We’ve got to be prepared to play longer points out there at sea level.
Ola & Mackenzie are both 3-3 heading into this match. Both of them have a few good wins, it’s extremely tough playing in the top two spots against all these nationally ranked teams.”