Jan. 18, 2011
LOBO WOMEN’S TENNIS 2011 SPRING PREVIEW
Spring Opener: Jan. 21-22 vs. Kansas State, vs. Drake, in Manhattan, Kan.
By Richard Stevens — Senior Writer/GoLobos.com
If New Mexico coach Roy Canada and his Lobo women tennis players had to throw out a single-word battle cry to attack the nets and protect the baselines in the spring of 2011, there probably wouldn’t be any argument over that word: “Payback.”
“We had a lot of people beat us and it’s payback time,” said Canada. “And we have had a lot of encouraging signs that we can do it.”
The Lobos could be taking to the spring courts with a number of “P” words in their arsenal. Pride and progress are important to this young team in order to dish out some revenge and begin the climb up the Mountain West Conference ladder. The Lobos went 1-21 in the spring of 2010 — a record that surprised and stung Canada like an unexpected slap to the face.
“It was a tough season,” said the second-year UNM coach, who took over after 13 seasons as assistant to Kathy Kolankiewicz. “I knew we were young, but it ended up a lot tougher than I thought. I didn’t think we would play like that.
“We got to a point where we were in a downward spiral and we couldn’t get out of it. Losing or winning can become a habit. We found ways to lose matches. It’s time we found ways to win matches.”
The Lobos open spring competition Jan. 21-22 in Manhattan, Kan., battling Kansas State and then Drake. The Lobos will battle 21 teams leading up to the MWC Tournament April 27-30 in Fort Collins (CSU), Colo.
The Lobos found a lot of ways to win in the fall of 2010, which is the foundation of the encouragement and confidence the Lobos take into spring ball. A good example is the play and progress of the Lobos in the Air Force Academy’s fall invite.
The Lobos won five matches in that same event in the fall of 2009. They won 20 matches in the fall of 2010. They opened that tournament with 10 wins on the first day. Canada got single wins from Anya Villanueva, Michaela Bezdickova, Kristin Eggleston and Laura Richardson. Amy Shipperd and Nikolina Grbac. Michaela Oldani and Ashley Bonner also picked up a win playing with Eggleston in doubles.
Those are the eight Lobos making up UNM’s roster for 2010-11 with Bezdickova and Grbac coming in as impact freshmen with international experience. Bezdickova is from the Czech Republic and Grbac is from Croatia.
“We added those two players, who made a huge impact in the fall,” said Canada. “Their presence has brought everyone up and obviously has improved the team. The fall was a great encouragement for the coaches and the team. We starting out the fall winning matches, which is what we needed to do.”
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Lobos’ 2011 Roster Michaela Bezdickova – Fr |
Bezdickova has the potential to be an outstanding Lobo. Canada said his new Lobo was the first UNM freshman to ever reach the quarterfinals of the USTA/Intercollegiate Tennis Association Mountain Region Championships. And she lost that quarterfinal match 7-6, 7-6.
On a New Mexico roster that features a balance of talent over the eight scholarship players, Bezdickova might be the only Lobo close to locking down a spot on the traveling squad. Canada thinks the spring could be a Lobo version of leap frog — with one Lobo player jumping over another and maybe getting passed by another Lobo later on — with maybe Bezdickova in the lead.
“It’s safe to say Micha (Me-Sha) stood out in the fall as the No. 1 player,” said Canada. “There is no reason not to expect that again in the fall, but she has to go out and prove it just like any other player.
“This year we are very even. There have been years in the past where you look at a couple of players and you aren’t sure they can play. This year any of these girls could make the lineup. It’s a tossup.”
In the spring, a team fields six individuals for singles’ action plus three doubles teams. That means at least six Lobos will be on the court, since a player can compete in both singles and doubles. Canada thinks there might be matches where all eight of his Lobos are contributing.
“They worked hard in the fall,” said Canada. “You get to whatever level you get to in the fall, and then you come back for the spring and start over. A lot of who plays depends on how they come back; what shape there are in; how mentally ready they are to compete again”
Canada lost two players from his 2009-10 roster that posted that single win. He has added Grbac and Bezdickova. It’s not a bad combination. He has some Lobos hungry for payback. He has some new Lobos not used to losing.
It’s probably not an issue that the payback goal for the spring will be reached on some kind of level. But how high can the Lobos climb that ladder and serve that cold dish of revenge?
“Our goal is to take a few steps up and finish in the middle of the conference,” said Canada. “We are still young, but I think a realistic and achievable goal is to shoot for fifth, maybe fourth. I don’t think that’s shooting for the moon.”
The moon — and maybe loaded UNLV — might be out of reach for the Lobos in the spring. But payback doesn’t necessarily have to reach the moon or even the Rebels. There are a few smaller satellites these hungry Lobos would like to knock into orbit with a dose of Lobo payback.
“The girls have had some solid wins over some good people and they are coming back thinking, `I can do this,`” said Canada. “That’s a huge start.”
Editor’s Note: Richard Stevens is a former Sports Columnist and Associate Sports Editor at The Albuquerque Tribune. You can reach him at rstevens50@comcast.net.