ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The University of New Mexico women’s tennis team claimed its third consecutive win on Friday evening as they defeated the Kansas Jayhawks 4-3 at the Linda Estes Tennis Center.
“I am so proud of our team tonight,” head coach Erica Jasper. “It was a complete and total team effort. This is a group with tremendous heart and fight. Despite the loss of the doubles point, I was very proud of our effort, but even more so I was really pleased with the way the team took the court in singles. Every player played to win and that’s what you have to do to put yourself in position to win against a good team like Kansas.”
The Lobos started out the match in a tight defensive battle with the Jayhawks. KU gained early momentum with a win in the No. 1 spot as Maria Jose Cardona and Maria Belen Ludueña defeated Natasha Smith and Dominique Dulski, 6-1.
Rachana Bhat and Sharon Coone replied with a tight 7-5 win over Madison Harrison and Smith Hinton in the No. 3 spot to even up the boards. Coone and Bhat are now 3-0 in doubles in dual match action.
It all came down to the match up in the No. 2 position between UNM’s Meredith Hopson and Emily Olivier and KU’s Rachel McNeely and Summer Collins. The two opponents battled through a seven-point tiebreaker where the Jayhawks eventually won to give KU the doubles point (7-6 (4)).
Bhat and Dulski claimed back-to-back singles victories to give UNM a 2-1 lead. Bhat defeated Collins in a quick 6-1, 6-2 match in the No. 5 spot. Dulski claimed a 6-2, 6-3 win over Harrison.
Hopson followed closely behind with a win of her own in the No. 3 spot defeating KU’s Hinton (No. 114 in ITA rankings), 6-3, 6-4.
After being down to Cardona 0-3 in the first set, Olivier rallied to eventually claim the first set 7-5. However, the Lobo sophomore couldn’t hang on in the next two sets and dropped the match, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 in the No. 1 spot.
As UNM held a 3-2 lead, Smith and Coone were both battling in a third set. Coone fought until then end but eventually fell to McNeely 6-3, 5-7, 6-2.
It was tied up at 3-3 when Smith eventually powered past Luduena 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 in the No. 2 spot to clinch the win for the Lobos.
“In terms of some individual efforts, Meredith Hopson, who has been battling a stomach bug this week, was clutch pushing through in a tough, physical match,” Jasper added. “Obviously Natasha Smith was huge for us with the clinch–she’s been willing to lay it all on the line always for this program since the day she got on campus last year, and it’s paid off.”
The Lobos close out the weekend with a match against No. 23 South Carolina on Sunday at 11 a.m. MT.
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