ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The names certainly aren’t the same, but the goal is. Win matches, get better in non-conference and go for a third straight Mountain West title. That all starts on Sunday afternoon when the new look Lobo men’s tennis squad takes on the Utah Utes at noon at McKinnon Family Tennis Stadium. Admission is free.
Only three Lobos remain from the 2020-21 squad that advanced to the NCAA Tournament after a second straight Mountain West title. Rafael Abdulsalam went 4-5 in singles in the fall season, and is the top returner for the Lobos. Abdulsalam has played anywhere from three to six in his Lobo career, but he could very well be in the top slot to open the season. The other two returners are Alex Maggs and Nicolas Prieto. Prieto, the only senior, had a solid fall with a 4-4 record, and Maggs went 3-2. Both players filled in both in singles and doubles in the lineup last year, and both came up with key victories in conference play.
First-year head coach Chris Russell and first-year Sonam Phuntsok will rely on six newcomers, four of whom played in the fall, as UNM will have a new look to the lineup. Local product Georgio Samaha and Arda Azkara each won a team-high five matches in the fall, Samaha going 5-4 and Azkara 5-3. Joel Pierleoni went 2-2 in singles, and Jan Pucalka played just one match. They are joined by spring transfers Daniil Kakhniuk and Aram Noroozian, and they will need to get acclimated quickly to college dual-meet tennis, but that’s what non-conference is for.
The Lobos will be taking on a Utah team that has already played three matches. They drilled Idaho State 7-0 and 6-1 to open the season and they traveled to Denver on Friday night and nipped the Pioneers 4-3.
Fans will not need to produce vaccination cards or negative COVID tests to attend the match, which will be played outdoor at McKinnon Family Tennis Stadium. Fans are encouraged to wear masks, but it is not required outdoors.
PROMOTIONS: Free pizza courtesy of Scarpa’s Pizza will be available between the doubles and singles portions of the match.