ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The University of New Mexico Lobos (1-11) continues its six-match home stand with a couple of regional rivals. On Friday morning at 11 a.m., the Lobos will host regional rival UTEP at the McKinnon Family Tennis Stadium. Then on Saturday, the Lobos will host Rio Grande Rival New Mexico State, also at 11 a.m. and also at McKinnon.
After this weekend, the Lobos will have another weekend off before opening Mountain West play with a pair of home matches against Utah State and Boise State.
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The Coaches:
The University of New Mexico Lobos are coached by Stephanie Wooten-Quijada, who is in her first season with New Mexico. She came to UNM from UT-Rio Grande Valley where she led the Vaqueros to a WAC Tournament title. Her coaching career also includes one season stints at UTRGV and Stephen F. Austin. UTEP is coached by Roberto Aspillaga, who is in his second season with the Miners. Aspillaga previously spent two seasons at Stephen F. Austin as the head coach. New Mexico State is coached by Ivan Fernandez, who is in his ninth season as the head coach of NM State and director of the Aggie Tennis Center.
Series History:
New Mexico has dominated the series with both UTEP and New Mexico. The Lobos lead the series with UTEP 30-1, winning 24 in a row before losing in 2010. Since then, UNM has won six in a row. The Lobos lead the series with New Mexico State 34-6, having won the last four in the series.
Rio Grande Rivalry:
Saturday’s match is worth 1.5 points in the Rio Grande Rivalry, the annual series that encompasses all sports between New Mexico and New Mexico State. The Lobos have already clinched the series for the 2016-17 year as they lead 17-6.5. New Mexico has won the Rio Grande Rivalry all 10 seasons it has been contested in its current format.
Following Along:
Livestats will be available at lobos.statbroadcast.com or lobostats.com.
New Mexico’s official twitter feed for women’s tennis is: @UNMWomensTennis
UTEP’s official twitter feed for women’s tennis is: @UTEPWTennis
New Mexico State’s official twitter feed for women’s tennis is: @NMStateWTEN