ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The No. 49 University of New Mexico women’s tennis team rallied through a close match against the Boise State Broncos on Sunday afternoon to claim a 5-2 victory. The Lobos are now 12-7 on the season, 10-1 at home, and 3-0 in Mountain West play.
The Lobos went into the match knowing it was a big deal. It was their final regular season home match, Senior Day for lone senior Natasha Smith, and it was a conference battle. Needless to say, this UNM lineup wasn’t willing to walk away without a win. However this victory wouldn’t come without a fight.
“What a crazy match,” head coach Erica Jasper said. “We knew it was going to be tough. Boise State has a team of fighters and they came after us for sure.”
The match started with some tight doubles play, where the Broncos eventually claimed the point. Jasper had to change up the usual lineup because Smith, who primarily competes in No. 1 doubles, was going into the match with an injured ankle.
BSU’s Sammie Watson and Bobbi Oshiro posted the first win of the day with their 6-3 victory over Meredith Hopson and Dominique Dulski in the No. 1 spot. Lobo duo Emily Olivier and Sharon Coone kept UNM in the running for the point with their 6-4 win over Megan LaLone and Arian Paules Aldrey in the No. 2 position. UNM’s Natasha Smith and Rachana Bhat had an impressive showing in the No. 3 position as they rallied back from a 2-5 deficit to take the match into a tiebreaker. However BSU’s Milena Toseva and Teal Vosburgh pulled ahead to take the point after winning 7-6 (3).
“Again despite losing the doubles point, I was still happy with how we played,” Jasper said. “We had to move Natasha Smith down and mix up our combos because frankly I didn’t know if she’d be able to walk let along play, but I was pleased at how we responded and competed and we almost snuck away with the point despite being way down at No. 3!”
Just like in their victory over Utah State on Thursday, the Lobos used strong singles action to capture the win.
Coone and Dulski put the Lobos ahead 2-1 with their quick wins in the No. 4 and No. 6 positions. Coone defeated Naomi De hart in the No. 6 spot 6-1, 6-1 in the No. 6 singles spot while Dulski defeated Bobbi Oshiro 6-4, 6-1 in the No. 4 spot.
However remaining matches kept the match neck-and-neck. Hopson, who dropped her first set, rallied back against Paules Audrey to win 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 putting the score at 3-1 UNM. The Broncos put the score at 3-2 as Smith fell to Vosburgh in a lengthy three-set match 7-5, 3-6, 6-4.
Bhat was battling Watson in the No. 5 position as the victory was on the line. The UNM sophomore dropped her first set, but then fought back to take the match into a third set where she led 5-1. Yet just as the Lobos’ win looked liked it was sealed, Watson rallied to take the battle into a tiebreaker. Fortunately, Bhat powered through to finish off the win and claim the match for the Lobos with her 1-6, 6-2, 7-6 (1) victory.
Olivier finished her match with LaLone in the No. 2 spot. It was another tight battle, but Olivier pulled ahead to give UNM its fifth singles win; 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3).
“In singles things were dicey there for a while,” Jasper said. “We had some pretty rough starts on a number of courts, but I was very pleased at how we came back and took all four matches where we lost the first set to a third. Rachana Bhat was huge today. After a building a lead in the third set that she then saw slip away, she put her head down and fought, putting the team first when it counted.”
Despite Smith falling in her close match, her teammates came through to help tally the win for their team captain on Senior Day.
“Obviously I think all of us were really happy to get this win for Natasha (Smith) on her senior day,” Jasper said. “She showed a lot of fight and determination today, playing through quite a bit of pain in her ankle from Thursday’s injury.”
The Lobos continue MW action on the road next weekend with matches at Wyoming and at Colorado State.
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