RENO, Nev. — Tim Buttner and Nicolas Prieto completed a heck of a doubles week, winning their second straight match to clinch the doubles point, and that really was a key moment in UNM’s 4-2 win over Nevada on Sunday. That win pushed UNM to 2-0 in Mountain West play, staying tied with Utah State at the top of the standings, and UNM is now 7-6 over and the Lobos have won six of their last seven.
Buttner and Prieto played just their fourth match of the season together, and they picked up their second straight win. Coming off a doubles clinching win over Fresno State’s undefeated No. 3 doubles team, they clinched the doubles point for a second straight match. The tandem had little trouble in a 6-1 win, giving UNM a 1-0 lead. That meant UNM needed just three singles wins, and the top of the order handled that. A good thing as the Lobos lost at No. 5 and No. 6, and were down in No. 4 at the clinch.
Nevada tied the match 1-1 when Matvey Radionev defeated Facundo Bermejo 6-4, 6-2. Bermejo’s straight set loss came on the heels of his clinching three-set win on Friday. However, UNM took a 3-1 lead with wins at the top. Stepan Holis, who sent a proverbial dagger through Fresno State on Friday with a ridiculous tiebreaker win to prevent things from getting too interesting, handled his business with a methodical 6-4, 6-3 win over Jeremy Merville. Then Dominic West won his sixth straight match in singles, taking down Kostya Nestorenko 6-1, 6-2. UNM just needed one more match, but the match was in doubt even with the lead.
Nevada had the lead at No. 6 singles, and it would take that flight 6-4, 6-1 over Prieto, making it 3-2. Ricky Hernandez Tong went to a third set at No. 1, and Buttner went to a third set at No. 4. Tong took a 3-0 lead as Buttner set behind 2-1. Tong then was able to hold serve and move steadily towards a win, up 5-3 while Buttner trailed 5-2. Tong than ended the drame with a 6-3 win, giving UNM the win.
Now the Lobos head back on the road once again, this time taking on Boise State on Friday at 1 p.m. before a match with Utah State on Sunday at 1 p.m.
NOTES: West picked up his 17th singles win, one ahead of Hernandez Tong and Holis … West and Bermejo won their sixth straight doubles match as the half of the doubles point winners.