Women's Tennis Opens Home Slate with Three Matches

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — After a weekend playing a pair of Top-20 teams in the ITA Kickoff Classic all the way on the East Coast of the U.S., the Lobos return home for five straight home non-conference matches, the first three of which are this weekend.  UNM will host a pair of matches on Saturday, with UNM hosting Western New Mexico at 10 am and then CSU Pueblo at 1 pm, both on Saturday, February 1.  UNM will host Gonzaga on Sunday at 11 am.  Additionally, Western New Mexico and CSU Pueblo will play each other at 4 pm on Saturday

Due to the weather, all matches are scheduled for the Linda Estes Tennis Center Indoor Bubbles.  All of the UNM matches will be streamed and have live scoring.

UNM opened the season with 4-0 losses to No. 5 Virginia and No. 20 South Carolina.  While UNM didn’t score an official point, the doubles team of Rebekkah Gaines and Maria Sodre did pick up a doubles win at No. 1 against South Carolina, and had everything been played out, UNM would have had three singles matches in a third set to score points against a pair of national title contenders.

Now, UNM will host a pair of lower division teams before Gonzaga on Sunday.  Western New Mexico and CSU Pueblo are both opening its seasons this weekend.  Gonzaga is 2-1 on the season with 5-2 wins over Michigan State and Eastern Washington and a 7-0 loss to Boise State.  The Zags will play New Mexico State on Friday in Las Cruces before making the three-hour sojourn north on I-25 to face UNM.  Last year UNM won 4-3 in a thriller that set the path for the season in motion for the Lobos.

NOTES:  Rebekkah Gaines, who was a two-time All-SWAC selection at FLorida A&M playing at No. 1 singles, opened there for UNM in Virginia … both Maud Vandeputte and Maria Matsoukatidi didn’t have either singles match finish last weekend but were in line for potential three-set wins.