ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — After a loss in doubles, The University of New Mexico women’s tennis team fought their way back to post a 5-2 win over the Utah State Aggies at the McKinnon Family Tennis Stadium, improving to 2-1 in conference play and 9-8 overall.
The win was UNM’s seventh in its last eight matches, while Utah State dropped to 0-1 in league play and 9-8 overall. UNM hosts Boise State at 11 a.m. on Sunday at McKinnon Family Tennis Stadium.
Starting in doubles, for the thirteenth time, Natasha Munday and Bronte Murgett entered the court as partners, and they improved to a robust 12-1. It was the first match in which the duo played the No. 2 slot, defeating Utah State’s Gabrielle Dekkers and Alexandra Taylor 6-1. Doubles quickly swung in Utah State’s favor as Ruth Copas and Hsiang-Wen Huang were defeated 6-2 as the No. 3, and No. 1 Danielle Quevedo and Yue Lin Chen lost 6-3, a match that got away from them after an early 3-0 lead. While that match loomed large for a while, both Chen and Quevedo made up for it in singles.
It was at No. 6 that Chen served her way to post the first singles win of the day for the Lobos as she defeated Alexandra Taylor 6-1, 6-1, holding serve all seven times, and bolting to 5-0 leads in each set. Chen improved to 20-6 in singles play, UNM’s first 20-game winner. Right next to her on court five, Munday dominated and put UNM up 2-1 in defeating Sidnee Lavatai 6-3, 6-1. Just four seconds later, it was 3-1 Lobos as Hsiang-Wen Huang went was back and forth with Annaliese County at the beginning of each set before pulling ahead 6-3, 6-3. Both sets were 3-3 before Huang pulled away.
That meant UNM needed one more win, but it was going to take a comeback somewhere along the line as Utah State took the opening sets on the other three courts. Utah State got its lone singles points at No. 1, but lone senior Ruth Copas made Alexandra Pisareva work for it. Copas dropped the first set 6-1, but fought her way back in the second, forcing a tiebreaker. Up 2-1, Pisareva ultimately took the last six points for a 7-2 win, making it 3-2 UNM.
The last two matches of the day were also in the third set when the No. 1 match was over. Murgett at No. 2 lost her first set to Lucy Octave 6-4, but began her comeback with a 6-2 win in the second set. In the third, Murgett found herself down 5-4 and 6-5, twice facing match point at 40-40, winning both, moving to a tiebreaker. Murgett just needed to win in to clinch a Lobo win at 4-2, and she did just that. Up 3-2, she hit a key winner for a 4-2 lead at the switch, and then after dropping the first point, took the final three, giving her a comeback 4-6, 6-2 7-6 (7-3) win.
At the clinch, Quevedo had taken a strangle-hold on her match, up 5-2 and 15-0. Quevedo dropped her first set 6-4, but was down 3-0. In the end, she overpowered her opponent Gabrielle Dekkers, winning 16 of the final 23 games. Quevedo served out her match, winning 6-2 in the third to give UNM a 5-2 final.
The Lobos will look to continue their winning ways as they host Boise State on Sunday at the McKinnon Family Tennis Stadium in Albuquerque. That match is scheduled for 11 a.m.
NOTES: Murgett’s win was her eighth in a row … Murgett in doubles this year is now 17-3 … Chen has 20 singles wins and 18 doubles wins … not only did UNM move above .500 for the season, but the five singles wins but UNM above .500 in the spring in singles (44-41).