Lobos Drop Road Match at GCU 4-1

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — New Mexico picked up the doubles points and led in two singles matches, but Grand Canyon took four singles matches to claim a 4-1 win over the Lobos in the first of two matches in Arizona on Monday.  The Lobos headed north to take on Northern Arizona on Tuesday at noon.

UNM took a 1-0 lead after doubles, taking wins at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles.  No. 3 doubles went swimmingly with Sarah O’Connor and Maria Sodre taking an easy 6-1 win over Valentina Del Marco and Dania Deaifi.  The other two matches were tight, both going to tiebreakers.  UNM’s No.2 pairing of Maud Vandeputte and Hsuan Huang were able to clinch the point was a 7-5 tiebreak win as Leonie Hoppe and Katherine Jhang had their match with Natasha Puehse and Santa Strombacha halted in a tiebreak.

The match moved to singles, and with UNM needed three wins, they could only muster a lead in two.  The ‘Lopes took four straight set wins to clinch the match.  Peuhse won 6-1, 6-1 over O’Connor at No. 1 and Anali Kocevar won 6-4, 6-0 over Hoppe at No. 3 to make it 2-1.  The Lobos had leads at No. 4 (Vandeputte) and No. 6 (Toriumi), but couldn’t get a comeback where it was needed.

Strombacha took down Jhang 6-3, 6-2 at No. 2, and then won it when Madeline Lamoreaux won 7-5, 6-1 at No. 5 singles.  That left Vandeputte’s match unfinished despite a 7-5, 4-2 lead, and Toriumi as well with her up 6-4, 3-2.

NOTES:  The four singles losses equaled the total for the spring over the first seven matches … UNM improved to 19-2 in doubles in the spring … Vandeputte’s six-match winning streak remained intact, as did four-match winning streaks for Toriumi nd SOfia Taborga, who was not in the lineup … UNM is a perfect 8-0 at No. 2 doubles, and 5-0 at No. 4 singles.