Lobos Falter in Wyoming 4-0

LARAMIE, Wyo. — Two tiebreakers fell the wrong way, and instead of playing for a tie, UNM lost 4-0 to Wyoming in a road Mountain West match in Laramie.  The loss dropped UNM to 9-6 overall and 0-3 in the Mountain West while Wyoming moved to 8-8 overall and 2-1 in the Mountain West.  UNM takes on Colorado State in Laramie on Sunday at 2 pm.

The Lobos lost the doubles point, falling in two of three matches.  Wyoming took No. 2 doubles 6-1 as Ana Fernandez and Sophie Zahender defeated Hsuan Huang and Sarah O’Connor, but UNM answered with a win at No. 1, also 6-1.  That was Polly Chen and Myu Kageyama toppling Maria Oreshkina and Ida Krause.  That left the doubles point to No. 3 doubles, where Albie Huang and Satoho Toriumi lost 6-4 to Mihaela Kaftanova and Lucia Malinak, giving Wyoming a 1-0 lead.

Playing indoors, just four singles matches were started on the four courts, and Wyoming took the opening set in all four.  UNM battled in the second sets, with Sarah O’Connor winning to force a third set.  Polly Chen at No. 1 and Kageyama at No. 4 each forced tiebreakers.  UNM was down 2-0 at this point as Hsuan Huang lost at No. 2 6-2, 6-4 to Zahender.  With O’Connor in her third set, Chen lost at No. 1 to Oreshkina 6-1, 7-6 (7-5) to make it 3-0, and the Cowgirls clinched with Krause winning over Kageyama 6-3, 7-6 (7-3).

O’Connor’s match was unfinished, and Albie Huang and Ana Fernandez at No. 5 singles got only two points into the match before it was halted.