MIDLAND, Texas – Sophomore Emily Olivier will represent the University of New Mexico women’s tennis team in singles competition on the final day of the Racquet Club Invitational being held in Midland, Texas. The tournament was set to start on Friday, but was postponed due to inclement weather.
Weather delays and having to cram three days of tennis into two days may not be ideal for a tournament season opening event, but Lobos Natasha Smith, Gabrielle Otero, Rachana Bhat, and Olivier still managed to step up and bring a solid performance to the courts on Saturday.
The Lobos started out the day playing singles with an eight game pro set format in order to make up for lost time from weather delays. Olivier found the most success in singles play of all the UNM competitors. Playing in the Women’s Singles Flight No. 2 bracket (16-draw), she recorded two victories. The first of Olivier’s wins was a quick 8-1 conquest over Maddie Moore of Texas State. The second win did not come quite as easily, but Olivier managed to claim a close 9-8 (5) victory over North Texas’ Ana Sofia Cordero in the quarterfinals. Olivier will compete in the semifinals on Sunday morning. She is the only Lobo still battling for a tournament title.
Smith and Otero both recorded wins in the round of 64 in the Women’s Singles Flight No. 1 bracket to kick off the tournament. Smith defeated SMU’s Yana Erkeeva, 8-5. Otero recorded her first win as a Lobo with an 8-5 victory over Alexis Czapinski of Kansas. Unfortunately, both Lobos fell in the following round. Smith dropped an 8-4 match to Texas Tech’s Samantha Czarniak while Otero lost to Anastasiya Shestakova of UNT, 8-6.
Bhat, who went 16-0 in singles in the regular season last year, lost in the first round of Flight No. 1 to Rice’s Savannah Durkin, 8-2. She turned things around in consolation play and earned an easy 8-1 victory over KU’s Summer Collins.
The Lobos struggled in doubles play as both UNM doubles teams dropped in the first round. Smith and Otero fell to Kaysie Hermsdorf and Lucile Pothier from ACU, 7-5. Penn State’s Kim Surin and Victoria Kisialeva (No. 47 in ITA preseason doubles rankings) defeated Olivier and Bhat, 8-1.
Bhat, Otero, and Smith will all compete in consolation matches on Sunday.
FULL RESULTS (Saturday, Sept. 14)
Women’s Singles Flight No. 1 – Round of 64
Gabrielle Otero (UNM) def. Czapinski (KU), 8-5
Natasha Smith (UNM) def. Erkeeva (SMU), 8-5
Durkin (Rice) def. Rachana Bhat (UNM), 8-2
Women’s Singles Flight No. 1 – Round of 32
Shestakova (UNT) def. Otero (UNM), 8-6
Czarniak (TTU) def. Smith (UNM), 8-4
Women’s Singles Flight No. 1 – Consolation Play
Bhat (UNM) def. Collins (KU), 8-1
Women’s Singles Flight No. 2 – Round of 16
Emily Olivier (UNM) def. Moore (TSU), 8-1
Women’s Singles Flight No. 2 – Quarterfinals
Olivier (UNM) def. Cordero (UNT), 9-8 (5)
Women’s Doubles – Round of 32
Hermsdorf/Pothier (ACU) def. Smith/Otero (UNM), 7-5
Surin/Kisialeva (Penn State) def. Olivier/Bhat (UNM), 8-1