ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — While it helped that the UTEP Miners limped into Albuquerque with only four healthy players, a full complement probably wasn’t getting in the way of the UNM women’s tennis team. The ladies took out the frustration of a six-match losing streak on the Miners, and soundly won 4-0, leading in all three remaining singles matches when the Lobos clinched.
The win pushed UNM to 2-11 on the season, and was a welcome reward after a pair of gut-wrenching losses in its last two matches in which the Lobos lost two matches by identical 4-3 scores after leading 3-2 in both. This time, there would be no late comeback by the visitors.
UNM needed to take just one of the two doub.es matches since UTEP didn’t field a No. 3 team, and Rachana Bhat and Dominique Dulski easily took that task on, winning 6-2 at No. 1 doubles over Milou Pietersz and Lois Vagenvoort.
That in turn made it 3-0 UNM as UTEP had to forfeit No. 5 singles (to Cassie Chung) and No. 6 singles (to Emily Olivier). That meant all UNM needed was one singles win out of the four that were played to clinch the match. Ludivene Burguiere took the honors with a 6-0, 6-3 win at No. 1 singles, but it could have been any of the four.
Diana Wong at No. 3 singles was leading 6-2, 3-1 when the match was halted, and Ruth Copas at No. 2 singles was leading 6-2, 2-1. Rachana Bhat was ahead 6-2, 2-4 at No. 4 singles.
The Lobos will now attempt to turn one win into two as they host New Mexico State in a Rio Grande Rivalry match on Saturday at 11 a.m. That match is currently slated for the McKinnon Family Tennis Stadium, but if the prevailing winds hold, it will move indoors to the Estes Tennis Center.
NOTES: Although not credited with a win, Diana Wong maintained the top winning streak on the team with four wins in a row, lasting over a month … UNM’s doubles point win was its second of the year … New Mexico improved to 31-1 all-time against UTEP.
Women’s Tennis Blitzes UTEP 4-0
