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Dominic West (Raine Gavino Photo)

Lobos Open MW Defense Against Fresno State

by Frank Mercogliano

Prematch Stat Packet/Record Book

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — It’s been two years in the making, but finally UNM’s defense of its 2019 regular season Mountain West title can begin.  It starts Thursday at 11 am at McKinnon Family Tennis Stadium as the Lobos take on the Fresno State Bulldogs in the MW opener for UNM.  UNM then hits the road to take on Nevada at 1 pm in Reno.  Both opponents are 1-0 having defeated Air Force.

Getting off to a good start is paramount in 2021 as there will be no Mountain West Tournament to lean on, and UNM, despite a stellar schedule, will not have an at-large option to fall back on.  What UNM does have is the conference’s only nationally-ranked doubles tandem.  Sergio Molina and Dominic West are 6-2 on the season and ranked No. 59 in the latest ITA doubles rankings.  UNM will need the duo to be in top form to defend its undefeated 7-0 championship from 2019.  UNM hasn’t lost a Mountain West match since April 13, 2018, a 4-1 loss to Utah State.

If the schedule feels a little bit like déjà vu, the pairing of opening with Fresno State at home and Nevada on the road, that’s the exact same pairing as UNM had to open the 2019 season that ended in a undefeated season.  However, the 2021 version might be a little tougher as Fresno State enters as the hottest team in the conference.

The Bulldogs are 12-2 overall and winners of 10 straight, including their last outing, a 6-1 win over Air Force.  Fresno State is 20-16 in doubles for the year, and the Bulldogs lost the doubles point to Fresno State before sweeping all six singles flights.  Singles is where the Bulldogs have made hay, winning 78.4% of their matches, going 58-16.  The match does represent the first time all year that the Bulldogs have ventured outside of the state of California, and really out of the general area of their school, having played 10 of the 12 matches either in Fresno, Sacramento or Santa Clara.  The lone long trip was a three-match swing in the L.A. area that got cut down to two matches, losses to Loyola Marymount and UC Irvine.  Since that trip, Fresno State is 10-0, including a revenge win 5-2 against that same Loyola Marymount squad.

Saturday’s matchup with Nevada will take place at noon Pacific.  While Nevada hasn’t been as hot as Fresno State, the 5-5 Wolf Pack have still won five of its last seven matches, including a 4-3 win over the Falcons that saw Nevada lose the doubles point and then win four singles matches including the final two of the afternoon.

For UNM, a tough non-conference schedule has pushed the Lobos into a seven-match losing streak, but it’s also not as bad as that sounds.  Five of those matches were against nationally-ranked foes, and all five either ended 4-2 or 4-3, and UNM easily could have won three of the five as the margins were razor thin.  It was purposeful scheduling by head coach Ben Dunbar to prepare for the rigors of Mountain West play, and the hope is that the tough matches and battles translate to wins.  The benefit for UNM is Dominic West and Stepan Holis at the top of the lineup are seasoned veterans who can steady the squad and lead them into conference play.

The match on Thursday will be free for fans to attend, and it starts at 11 a.m., and fans that can’t make it can follow along at via Live Stats.  Fans in attendance must wear masks and remain socially distant.  Fans can bring food and non-alcohol beverages to McKinnon Family Tennis Stadium.  There will be no live stats for Saturday’s match with Nevada.

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