Oct. 11, 2009
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— University of New Mexico sophomore Carl Ho and freshman Conor Berg were victorious in the “A” and “B” singles finals, respectively, of the Balloon Fiesta Invite Sunday at the Linda Estes Tennis Center.
“I thought everybody stepped up and played well,” head coach Alan Dils said. “Everybody improved, even over the last week. That is the primary goal. Top to bottom to have as dominant a performance as we had here I think is great. I think we are in great shape, maybe better shape than I thought we would be at this time of the year. We are not content with being just OK. These guys are improving rapidly and feeling the shoes of some very big seniors who left last year. You can feel it pervade the whole team.”
Ho, who won the event last year, racked up a 4-0 record in singles play during the event culminating in a 6-2, 6-4 defeat of teammate Jadon Phillips, who went 3-1 in singles action.
“I felt good defending my title,” Ho said. “I got on a roll from All-American last week. I feel comfortable and confident. I know I can hang out there for a long time so I know I am a tough opponent to beat. We are a young team but we are enthusiastic and energetic so I am really looking forward to the spring season.”
Berg did not lose a set all weekend, finishing 5-0 after a 6-4, 6-3 win over NAU’s Kevin Taylor in the finals.
“I was playing well after starting off a little slow in the first couple of matches,” Berg said. “My consistency and mental toughness grew. I hung tough and came back to win all my matches. I see myself growing a huge amount with the step up from junior tennis to college tennis which is really big.”
Because the doubles finals match ended up pitting Lobos against Lobos with Ho and Phil Anderson facing off against Ben Dunbar and Phillips, the match went unplayed. Ho and Anderson combined to go 3-0 in doubles matches while Phillips and Dunbar recorded a 4-0 record on the weekend.
The Lobos wrap up their fall season at the ITA Fall Regional in Las Vegas, Nev., from Oct. 21-25.
Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009
Singles “A” Finals
Ho (UNM) def. Phillips (UNM) 6-2, 6-4
Singles “B” Finals
Berg (UNM) def. Kevin Taylor (NAU) 6-4, 6-3
Consolation
Joe Wood (UNM) def. Lance Wilhelm (AFA) 6-3, 6-0
Anderson (UNM) def. Calix Van Lier (UNCO) no show