TCU Gets Past Women’s Tennis
FT. WORTH, Texas — The University of New Mexico women’s tennis team played a tight match with TCU, but the Horned Frogs were able to get four points before UNM could get back into the match, and UNM dropped to 1-2 with a 4-0 loss at TCU in Ft. Worth.
The Lobos stay in the Metroplex as the squad takes on SMU in Dallas at 11 a.m. Mountain on Friday.
“Our team did a fantastic job of competing today. We were a couple of points short of winning the doubles points and in singles, we got down but battled back hard on every court and came within a few points there too,” said head coach Vicky Maes. “I was very pleased with our spirit, our fight, and the improvements we made from the last week. This type of match is exactly what I know we are capable of, and we will keep learning and growing every opportunity we get, and tomorrow is another chance to do just that.”
The doubles point went TCU’s way, but it was a in doubt the whole way. The Horned Frogs took the first of two needed at No. 3 doubles as Mercedes Aristegui and Margaret Polk defeated Danielle Quevedo and Hsiang-Wen “Albie” Huang 6-4. UNM evened it up in doubles at No. 2 as Myu Kageyama and Sara Kuuttila-Webbert took down Marie Norris and Kate Paulus 7-5, winning the final three games of the set.
That evened it up with the No. 1 doubles match with UNM’s Bronte Murgett and Natasha Munday all even at 5-5 with Chloe Hule and Stevie Kennedy. Hule and Kennedy were able to win the final two games for a 7-5 win and the doubles point.
In singles, TCU took three matches to clinch the win, although nothing was definitive or easy. TCU’s Norris defeated UNM’s Quevedo at No. 5 singles 6-1, 6-4 to take a 2-0 lead, but everything else was nip and tuck.
TCU eventually clinched the win with a pair of wins at No. 1 and No. 3. Kuuttila-Webbert lost 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) and Alisia Manolescu lost 7-6, 6-4 to give TCU a 4-0 win. The ending helted the match with the other three matches in doubt. Bronte Murgrett bounced back from an opening set loss at No. 2 to be at 6-2, 3-6, 2-1 when halted, and Huang did the same at No. 6 singles, losing the first set but winning the second. Her match was 6-2, 3-6, 1-1 when stopped.
Natasha Munday, playing at No. 4, also bounced back from a first set loss and her match was stopped 6-4, 2-6, having not started the third set.