In another close 4-3 finish for the University of New Mexico’s men’s tennis team (9-5), the Lobos have come out on top against the Huskers of Nebraska (9-3).
In double’s play, the duo of Ricky Hernandez-Tong and Dominic West tallied an impressive sweep over Nebraska’s Linus Erhart and Toby Boyer in the second flight, 6-0. Following a 6-4 loss by Tim Buttner and Sean Baklini in the third fight against Chris Dean and Dylan Bednarczyk, first flight Bart Van Leijsen and Jorge Escutia were able to put the Lobos up 1-0 after double’s with a 7-6 win against William Grattan-Smith and Micah Klousia.
Unfortunately for the Lobos, single’s began with a two-set loss by Van Leijsen against Erhart by a score of 6-3, 6-4 in the second flight, and a 7-5, 6-2 loss by Buttner against Dean in the sixth flight. Despite two close sets, first flight Hernandez-Tong also fell to Boyer by a score of 7-6, 7-6 to put the Huskers up 3-1.
In the third flight, West was able to shift the momentum for the Lobos, winning in a two-set victory over Bednarczyk, 7-5, 6-4, while Stepan Holis finished out the first three-set match of the day with a win over Grattan-Smith, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, tying both teams at 3-3. Ultimately, it was fourth flight Escutia who was able to clinch the match for the Lobos, coming back from a 6-7 loss in the first set to win the next two, 6-2, 6-0, to put the Lobos back on top for the day.
“Proud of the guys for getting another 4-3 win today.” Head Coach Ben Dunbar said. “We are excited to get another chance at Wichita State tomorrow. This team is learning each match, and Jorge really impressed me down the stretch with his leadership. Tomorrow, I’m excited to see all the guys follow that example.”
The Lobos will face off against the Shockers of Wichita State, a team that beat the Lobos and were the eventual winners of the Mountain Pacific Invitational held in Albuquerque last week. The match will be held on Sunday, March 11 at noon in Wichita, Kansas.