ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The No. 63 University of New Mexico men’s tennis team claimed the doubles point and five singles matches to defeat Northern Arizona 6-1 in their home opener on Saturday afternoon. The Lobos squared off against the Lumberjacks at the McKinnon Family Tennis Stadium making it the first collegiate dual match to be played at the new facility.
“It was a great atmosphere for the first dual match at McKinnon,” interim head coach Bart Scott said. “The guys came out a bit slow, but they sunk their teeth into the match and put on a great show for the crowd. I want to thank facilities and game management for helping put on the match today! The look and atmosphere was fantastic!”
The match started off with a tight doubles battle. The Lobos got off to a strong start as Mitchell McDaniels and Jorge Escutia tallied a 6-3 win over Felix Schumann and Eden Peleg in the No. 3 spot. However the Lumberjacks followed up with a win of their own as Alex Locci and Jordan Gobatie defeated Rodolfo Jauregui and Jorge Escutia in the No. 2 position, 6-3. Sophomore Hayden Sabatka and freshman Bart Van Leijsen powered through a close match in the No. 1 position to defeat Adi Zilberstein and Kester Black 6-4 clinching the doubles point for the Lobos.
In singles action, Escutia stepped up to keep the momentum going for the Lobos. The UNM freshman defeated Schumann 6-3, 6-1 in the No. 5 spot to give UNM its first singles point. However Escutia’s match would be one of the only singles battles decided in two sets. Sabatka, McDaniels, Ge, and Van Leijsen all battled through three-set match ups against their Lumberjack opponent.
Sabatka quickly claimed the first set over Black in the No. 2 spot, but Black replied with a win in the second. The Lobo sophomore eventually pulled ahead to claim the match 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 to put the score at 3-0. McDaniels clinched the win for the Lobos with a 2-6, 6-1, 6-3 win over Peleg in the No. 1 position.
Van Leijsen continued the Lobos’ success with a close 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 victory over Locci in the No. 4 spot. Ge posted another close win as he defeated Zilberstein 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (2). Jauregui fell to Gobatie in a tiebreaker to give the Lumberjacks their only point of the match; 4-6, 7-6, 1-0 (11-9).
“Jorge Escutia did a great job in singles getting off the court quickly,” Scott added. “He stuck to the game plan and executed very well. I’m happy for the rest of the guys as well. It’s a shame we couldn’t get that last w on the board after putting ourselves in position. A few guys just need to work on dealing with things they can’t control just a little better. NAU is a good team and we’re happy to get the win on this special day.”
The Lobos are now 6-6 on the season. They hit the road next weekend to compete in the Mountain Pacific Tournament in Stockton, Calif. Feb. 27-March 1.
Full Results: UNM 6, NAU 1
Doubles:
1) Hayden Sabatka/Bart Van Leijsen (UNM) def. Adi Zilberstein/Kester Black (NAU), 6-4
2) Alex Locci/Jordan Gobatie (NAU) def. Rodolfo Jauregui/Augustus Ge (UNM), 6-3
3) Mitchell McDaniels/Jorge Escutia (UNM) def. Felix Schumann/Eden Peleg (NAU), 6-3
Order of Finish: 3, 2, 1
Singles:
1) Mitchell McDaniels (UNM) def. Eden Peleg (NAU), 2-6, 6-1, 6-3
2) Hayden Sabatka (UNM) def. Kester Black (NAU), 6-2, 3-6, 6-3
3) Jordan Gobatie (NAU) def. Rodolfo Jauregu (UNM), 4-6, 7-6, 1-0 (11-9)
4) Bart Van Leijsen (UNM) def. Alex Locci (NAU), 7-5, 3-6, 7-5
5) Jorge Escutia (UNM) def. Felix Schumann (NAU), 6-3, 6-1
6) Augustus Ge (UNM) def. Adi Zilberstein (NAU), 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (2)
Order of Finish: 5, 2, 1, 4, 6, 3