Vandeputte's Comeback Clinches 4-2 Win Over UTEP
EL PASO, Texas — Maud Vandeputte’s come-from-behind three set win over Candice Bernier at No. 2 singles was the clincher for UNM, giving the Lobos a hard-fought 4-2 win over a much-improved UTEP Miner team in El Paso. The win evened up UNM’s record at 4-4 on the season while UTEP dropped to 3-2. The Lobos head towards home with a stop in Las Cruces to take on the Aggies on Saturday at 11 am.
Vandeputte’s comeback win was needed to clinch the 4-2 win as the only other match going on was at No. 4 singles where Maria Matsoukatidi was in the second-set tiebreaker with Hanna Telzynska in a match where she dropped the first set 7-5. Vandeputte, who has won five straight singles matches, lost her opening set 6-3 before sweeping the final two sets 6-3, 6-2.
The Lobos jumped to a 1-0 lead with a dominant performance in doubles. Rebekkah Gaines and Maria Sodre clinched the doubles point with a 6-4 win at No. 1 doubles over Telzynska and Carlotta Mencaglia. That win followed a 6-3 win at No. 3 doubles for Matsoukatidi and Sofia Taborga. That pairing was a season debut for UNM, with Sarah O’Connor moving up to No. 2 to pair with Vandeputte. They were up 5-4 in their first match together when the doubles point was won.
From there needing just three singles wins, and the teams split the opening sets 3-3, UNM winning the opening sets at No. 3, 5, and 6 singles. After Mencaglia took down Rebekkah Gaines 6-2, 6-2 at No. 1 to tie the match, UNM went up 3-1 as Maria Sodre completed a near shutout of Wendy Zhang, winning 6-1, 6-0 at No. 5 and Sofia Taborga won 6-4, 6-2 at No. 6 over DeCora Antoine.
That meant UNM could potentially clinch with a win at No. 3 by Sarah O’Connor, but she lost to Paloma Hennicauz 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 to make it 3-2 UNM but with UTEP in position for a win. While Matsoukatidi eventually didn’t finish her match, just staying alive proved valuable as UTEP could never tie the match. As she battled, that set up Vandeputte for the comeback win and the clinching point.
NOTES: The Lobos improved to 38-1 all-time against the Miners … Maria Sodre now has 55 career doubles wins at UNM, and she is now 19th on the all-time list … Taborga now has a five dual match wins this spring after playing in just five dual matches (going 2-3) in her first three years at UNM.