ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — In a battle of attrition in which there were six match points, three for New Mexico and three for Air Force, the Falcons finally converted to win an epic four-hour match 4-3, taking the final set tiebreaker 9-7.
The match was the regular season finale for the Lobos, who now head to the Mountain West Tournament in Boise next weekend. UNM will most likely play on the opening day of the tournament. The top five seeds get byes into the quarterfinals.
In what turned out to be a key to the match, Air Force took the doubles point, although UNM made a run at it. After opening down 4-1, 4-1 and 3-1 in the three doubles matches, Air Force took No. 2 doubles with a 6-2 win, but UNM came back from down 1-4 at No. 3 doubles behind Bronte Murgett and Lauren Rich, who won the final five games to win 6-4.
That set the double point on No. 1, but Air Force’s TJ Fumagalli and Elizabeth Barnickel nipped Hsiang-Wen “Albie” Huang and Danielle Quevedo 6-4.
In singles, Natasha Munday was a late switch at No. 6 singles, and she proved Coach Stephanie Wooten-Quijada right with a solid 6-1, 6-1 win to make it 1-1. Diana Wong had to face Fumagalli at No. 1, and lost 6-4, 6-4 in a match that was very tight, giving Air Force a 2-1 lead. UNM tied it at 2-2 when Bronte Murgett won at No. 4 6-4, 7-5.
It moved to 3-3 when within seconds of each other Huang won 7-6 (7-5), 6-1 at No. 5 singles and Quevedo lost in a second set tiebreaker 6-2, 7-6 (7-5).
That left everything to No. 2 singles, where Air Force’s Barnickel ran Yue Lin “Polly” Chen out of the first set 6-0. The second set was different, with it staying close throughout, but Barnickel had a pair of match points up 5-4, 40-30, but Chen hit a passing shot to send it to deuce, and then Barnickel was wide. Chen then won the next two games, sending it to a third set.
Chen bolted to a 2-0 lead, and at 40-40, Barnickel hit the backline on a shot at deuce to make it 2-1. Chen went back up 3-1, and Barnickel eventually took a 5-4 lead, but Chen bounced back to even it at 5-5. Chen then led 6-5, but Barnickel held, forcing a tiebreaker.
Chen opened with two quick points before Barnickel reeled off four straight for a 4-2 lead at the switch-over. But Chen again responded, winning four straight of her own, including a nifty drop shot to give UNM two match points, but she couldn’t convert either, hitting one into the net and getting passed when Barnickel went to the net. Chen then went up 7-6, but Barnickel took the final three points, winning the tiebreak 9-7, and the match 4-3.
Lobos Drop Epic Battle to Air Force 4-3
