ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.—The University of New Mexico men’s tennis squad took on Utah State this evening in their third conference match of the season. The Lobos fought a hard match, but fell a close 4-3 to their conference opponent.
In doubles play, the Lobos started out strong when they clinched the point after wins at the number one and two positions.
Bart Van Leijsen and Hayden Sabatka topped Luis Lopez and Romai Ugarte 6-4. They played at the number one position. Shortly after, Rodolfo Jauregui and Augustus Ge won 6-3 at number two.
Ricky Hernandez-Tong teamed up with Jorge Escutia at the number three position against Andrew Nakajima and Jaime Barajas. Their match was left unfinished, but the Lobos led 5-4.
In singles play, Sabatka was first to finish when he fell a hard fought match at the number one position.
To bring the Lobos back in the lead, Ge defeated Lopez 6-1, 6-0 at the number five position. After another tough match, Hernandez-Tong topped Serrano 6-2, 6-4.
The Aggies closed the gap when Ugarte defeated Jauregui 6-4, 6-2 at the number six position. At this point New Mexico lead Utah State 3-2 and they need just one more win to clinch the match, but they could not pull it off.
Escutia and Van Leijsen fell at the number three and two positions, respectively, after a long, hard-fought three set match each. Escutia battled through one tiebreaker and Van Leijsen battled through two.
“It was a hard fought conference match between two good teams tonight,” said head coach Bart Scott. “We put ourselves in position and didn’t get the job done, but credit to Utah state down the stretch. We have to dust ourselves off and get ready for Boise state who visit us on Sunday. I know the guys are excited to have a match to rebound quickly right around the corner.”
The Lobos advance to 1-2 in conference play and 13-12 in their season. They look forward to Sunday when they will take on Boise State, another conference opponent. The match is scheduled for 12 p.m.
Lobos Drop a Close Battle to Utah State
