ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The New Mexico women’s tennis team was pretty much perfect as far as singles were concerned, winning all five matches against UTEP to highlight the opening day of the 2017 Lobo Invitational, taking place at the McKinnon Family Tennis Stadium and the Estes Tennis Center.
UNM faced off against UTEP in singles at McKinnon while New Mexico State and Northern Arizona battled at Estes. The Lobos went 6-1 in singles, the only loss occurring when two Lobos faced off with each other.
Diana Wong, playing in front of family, took the top singles flight for UNM as one of two returning players on the team, and she picked up a 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 win over Lois Wagenvoort. Ruth Copas, UNM’s other returning player and only upperclassman as a junior, have a devil of a time with Erandi Martinez. Copas dropped the first set 6-4 before bouncing back to take the second 7-5. That set up a 10-point third set tiebreaker, and even that needed extra time, but Copas picked off the last two points for a well-earned 11-9 third set win.
Opening day of the Lobo Invitational! Check out our team! #GoLobos pic.twitter.com/b0sTTKI3H3
— UNM Women’s Tennis (@UNMLoboWTennis) October 27, 2017
For UNM’s talented rookie class, it wasn’t nearly that harrowing. Danielle Quevedo, Hsaing-Wen “Albie” Huang and Bronte Murgett lost just three games total over six combined sets. Quevedo was nearly perfect in a 6-0, 6-0 breeze over Maria Paula Medina, and Hunag lost just an opening set game in stunning Alisa Morzova 6-1, 6-0.
Murgett picked up a 6-2, 6-1 win over Milena Baigorria in the No. five singles slot. Since UTEP had just five players, that put UNM’s No. 6 spot, occupied by Lauren Rich, against her teammate Yue Lin “Polly” Chen, and Rich won 6-2, 6-1.
In doubles, UNM split its four matches. Copas and Huang teamed up at No. 2 doubles and made quick work of Rebecca Keizjerwaard and Quinty Jannsen of New Mexico State 6-0, and Murgett and Rich did the same to NMSU’s Vanessa Valdez and Helena Colvee by the same 6-0 score.
The only loss to NMSU came at No. 1 where Quevedo and Wong lost to Yadira Rubio and Lindsay Harlas when down 5-4, the pair’s deuce point winner-attempt just went wide. UNM’s other doubles team, playing in the cavated UTEP No. 3 doubles slot was Chen and Natasha Munday, who played NAU’s Worthy Goldman and Cora-Lynn Von Dungern. Down 5-4 and 6-5, Chen and Munday battled back twice, flighting off a set point to force a tie break.
Chen and Munday actually went up 4-1 after a mini-serve break, and still had a 6-5 lead and match point on serve, but a double fault evened the match at 6-6. An unforced error made it 7-6 NAU, and they took advantage of a second set point with a forehand passing shot for an 8-6 tiebreak win.
NAU swept all three doubles matches on the day, and they took four of six singles matches against New Mexico State. The Lobos will face UTEP’s doubles teams (and its own doubles team) tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. at McKinnon. Immediately afterwards, UNM will play NAU in singles at McKinnon while New Mexico State and UTEP will face off in singles at Estes. The matches are free and open to the public.
Friday, October 27
Doubles (McKinnon)
Flight 1 – Yadira Rubio/Lindsay Harlas (NMSU) def. Danielle Quevedo/Diana Wong (UNM) 6-4
Flight 2 – Ruth Copas/Hsiang-Wen “Albie” Huang (UNM) def. Rebecca Keizjerwaard/Quinty Jannsen (NMSU) 6-0
Flight 3 – Bronte Murgett/Lauren Rich (UNM) def. Vanessa Valdez/Helena Colvee (NMSU) 6-0
Flight 4 – Brandi Walker/Madi Moore (NAU) vs. Maria Paula Medina/Milena Baigorria (UTEP) 6-1
Flight 5 – Eirene Granville/Ellie Millard (NAU) vs. Alisa Morzova/Erandi Martinez (UTEP) 6-1
Flight 6 – Worthy Goldman/Cora-Lynn Von Dungern (NAU) def. Yue Lin “Polly” Chen/Natasha Munday (UNM) 7-6 (8-6)
Singles (McKinnon)
Flight 1 – Wong (UNM) def. Lois Wagenvoort (UTEP) 7-6 (7-5), 6-2
Flight 2 – Copas (UNM) def. Martinez (UTEP) 4-6, 7-5, 11-9
Flight 3 – Quevedo (UNM) def. Medina (UTEP) 6-0, 6-0
Flight 4 – Huang (UNM) def. Morzova (UTEP) 6-1, 6-0
Flight 5 – Murgett (UNM) def. Baigorria (UTEP) 6-0, 6-2
Flight 6 – Rich (UNM) def. Chen (UNM) 6-2, 6-1
Singles (Estes)
Flight 1 – Walker (NAU) def. Valdez (NMSU) 6-4, 6-4
Flight 2 – Granville (NAU) def. Keizjerwaard (NMSU) 6-3, 5-7, 6-1
Flight 3 – Moore (NAU) def. Harlas (NMSU) 6-7 (0-7), 6-1, 6-4
Flight 4 – Rubio (NMSU) def. Von Dungern (NAU) 5-7, 6-4, 7-5
Flight 5 – Arnaudova (NMSU) def. Millard (NAU) 6-4, 6-4
Flight 6 – Goldman (NAU) def. Colvee (NMSU) 6-0, 6-0