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Lobos Give No. 18 Texas Tech All It Can Handle

Box Score | 2019-20 Season Statistics

LUBBOCK, Texas — The University of New Mexico gave the No. 18 Texas Tech Red Raiders everything it could handle, but the Lobos ultimately fell 4-1 in Lubbock.  The loss ended UNM’s five-match winning streak.  The Lobos dropped to 5-5 on the season while Texas Tech improved to 11-4.

UNM fell behind in doubles as Texas Tech took wins at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles, meaning UNM would need to win four singles matches, and although it couldn’t, the match was there for the taking. 

In the end, the differences in the two teams was fairly negligible.  Of the 14 singles sets that were finished, nearly half of them, six, went to tiebreakers, that that was ultimately the difference as Texas Tech took four of the six.  The two biggest came in the clinching match at No. 3 singles, a wild affair between Sergio Molina and Texas Tech’s Reed Collier, who was one of three Red Raiders nationally ranked.  Molina took the first set over the No. 123rd ranked Collier 6-3, and then had botht he second and third sets go to tiebreakers.  Both went to Collier, 7-4 in the second and 7-2 in the third. That was good for Texas Tech’s fourth point, and had it gone the other way, so could have the final result.  

UNM’s lone point was scored by Rafael Abdulsalam, who played at No. 5 singles and was down 6-2, 4-1 and then turned on the jets, winning the final five games of the second set to take it 6-4 and then won the third 6-2.  

UNM lost at No. 4 and No. 6, twice coming up on the wrong side of tiebreakers.  At No. 4, Raul Dobai lost 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) and at No. 6 Facundo Bermejo lost 7-6 (7-4), 6-2.

Had any of the tiebreakers gone the other way, UNM had a golden opportunity for the upset as Dominic West at No. 1 singles split his first two sets, winning the first 7-6 (7-2) and losing the second 6-4.  At No. 2 singles, Stepan Holis was down but on serve, 3-6, 7-6 (7-3), 3-4.

UNM heads back out on the road next week, taking on Oregon on Friday, March 6 and then Old Dominion on Sunday, March 8.