TUCSON, Ariz. – The sixty-first ranked Lobos are off to a strong start in 2015 as they picked up two victories on the first day of their season-opening event.
UNM tallied wins over No. 41 Texas Tech and Arizona on day one of the ITA Kick-Off event being hosted by the Wildcats at the La Nelle Robson Tennis Center.
(No. 61) UNM vs (No. 41) Texas Tech
The Lobos started the day with an impressive 4-1 upset victory over the forty-first ranked TTU Rebels. Freshman Bart Van Leijsen came through with the first victory for the Lobos as he took down Alex Sendegeya, 6-3, 6-2, in his first regular season match of his career. Senior Samir Iftikhar (No. 41) followed up Van Leijsen’s win with a victory of his own as defeated No. 31 ranked Felipe Soares, 6-3, 6-3, in the number one position. Sophomore Hayden Sabatka dropped a close 6-4, 7-5 match to Hugo Dojas in the number two spot allowing the Rebels to get on the board. Rodolfo Jauregui responded with another point for the Lobos as he defeated TTU’s Jolan Caileau in a tight match up, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.
Senior James Hignett clinched the match for the Lobos as he handily took down Francisco Zambron, 6-1, 6-4, in the number six spot.
Redshirt senior Mitchell McDaniels squared off against Victor Cornea in the number three spot, but their match went unfinished.
(No. 61) UNM vs Arizona
UNM completed day one with a 4-2 victory over host school Arizona.
Sabatka, McDaniels, Hignett, and Jauregui tallied victories for UNM. Sabatka defeated Jason Jaruvang, 6-2, 6-3. McDaniels earned a 6-3, 6-3 win over David Mushayev. Hignett defeated Trevor James 6-3, 6-1, while Jauregui claimed a 6-3, 6-3 win over Matt Dunn.
Iftikhar fell to Naoki Takeda in a close 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 match. Van Leijsen lost to Shoki Kasahara, 7-6, 6-1.
“The guys played well today,” interim head coach Bart Scott said. “We have some things to improve for tomorrow and we’re excited for another opportunity to do that. Texas Tech and Arizona both have good teams and are very well coached so we are happy to come away with two wins to start the season.”
The ITA Kick-Off event resumes at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning. The Lobos start the day with a match against UC Irvine and finish the day with another match against TTU.
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2015 ITA Kick-Off Weekend Schedule
Saturday, Jan. 17
Arizona vs. No. 41 Texas Tech | 10 am MST |
No. 61 New Mexico vs. UC Irvine | 10 am MST | Live Stats
Arizona vs. UC Irvine | 2 pm MST | Live Stats
No. 41 Texas Tech vs. No. 61 New Mexico | 2 pm MST | Live Stats
Monday, Jan. 19
Arizona vs. No. 61 New Mexico | 10 am MST | Live Stats
No. 41 Texas Tech vs. UC Irvine | 10 am MST |
Arizona vs. No. 41 Texas Tech | 2 pm MST |
No. 61 New Mexico vs. UC Irvine | 2 pm MST | Live Stats