Munday, Chen Post Wins in 5-2 Loss at Baylor
WACO, Texas — The New Mexico Lobos picked up a pair of singles wins from Natasha Munday and Yue Lin “Polly” Chen as UNM dropped its season opener to Baylor 5-2. The Bears are receiving votes in the current ITA/Oracle National Poll, one of four teams outside the top-25 that are doing so.
The Lobos, in addition to the two singles wins, also got a doubles win as well. The match was substantially closer than the 7-0 loss to Baylor in last season’s opening match.
It was Munday and teammate Bronte Murgett that got UNM off on the right foot, winning 6-1 at No. 3 doubles. Baylor evened things at 1-1 in doubles when they took the top flight 6-2 over UNM’s Ruth Copas and Danielle Quevedo. That put the doubles points in the hands of the No. 2 doubles teams, and Baylor’s Livia Kraus and Dominika Sujova barely nipped UNM’s Hsiang-Wen “Albie” Huang and Chen, winning 7-5 in a tiebreaker to give Baylor the doubles point.
All six singles matches were completed in straight sets. Baylor won the first three to finish to clinch the match, starting at No. 1 where Kraus took down Copas 6-1, 6-1. At No. 4, Sujova defeated Quevedo 6-0, 6-2, and at No. 3 singles, Baylor’s Kris Sorokolet defeated Murgett 6-4, 6-0.
UNM then got on the board when Munday won her second match of the day, taking down Katelyn Parker 6-2, 6-1. Baylor then went up 5-1 in the match with a win at No. 2 singles when Huang fell 6-2, 6-1. Chen then made the final score 5-2 when she won 6-1, 6-2 at No. 6 singles.
The Lobos stay in Texas with a match on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. at TCU. That match will be live streamed, weather permitting, here.