Jan. 31, 2010
COLUMBUS, Ohio— For the second day in a row the 51st-ranked University of New Mexico men’s tennis team battled fierce competition only to be handed defeat, losing 4-1 to 30th-ranked Notre Dame Sunday at the Ohio State Varsity Tennis Center. The Lobos (1-2) also lost, 7-0, on Saturday to No. 3 Ohio State. Both matches were part of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend.
On a team with just one upperclassman, UNM managed against the Fighting Irish (3-2), pushing all three doubles matches to the end, but unable to pull out a win at any of the slots to give Notre Dame a quick 1-0 advantage.
The Lobos opened single play with a win via Phil Anderson to even the match at 1-1. Anderson defeated Michael Moore easily 6-0, 6-1 at the No. 4 position to create the tie. Notre Dame responded with three straight wins, including two by top ranked players.
First, 93rd-ranked Stephen Havens out-battled freshman Jadon Phillips at the No. 2 position, taking the victory, 6-4, 6-2. After David Anderson notched a 6-0, 6-4 win over Joe Wood at the No. 5 position, 18th-ranked Casey Watt clinched the Notre Dame win with a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Carl Ho at No. 1 singles.
The Lobos return home to host a pair of matches next weekend beginning with No. 56 Middle Tennessee State on Friday, Feb. 5 at 6 p.m. MST before taking on N0. 63 Denver on Sunday, Feb. 7 at 11 a.m. Both matches will be at the Linda Estes Tennis Center on South Campus.