Men's Tennis WIn Third Straight, Beat South Alabama 4-3

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — New Mexico won the doubles point in exciting fashion with No. 51 Aram Noroozian and Georgio Samaha winning 7-6, (7-2) over No. 76 Juan Accossatto and Romeo Hadzimehmedovi, and then waltzed from there to a 6-1 win, the third straight for the team as UNM moved above .500 for the first time this season at 4-3.

The Lobos will take on No. 45 Middle Tennesse State tomorrow at 1 pm.

Sophomore tandem Nicolas Recoura and Avery Tallakson paired up in doubles for the first time this year and won 6-1 at No. 3 over Victor Frumholz and Harold van Raemdonck to give UNM the first half of the doubles point.  It turned into a harrowing adventure for Noroozian and Samaha, but they won for the ninth consecutive time to move to 12-3 and give UNM a 1-0 lead, and the Lobos cruised from there.

Noroozian and Tallakson also won in singles, along with Aditya Balkesar, Daniil Kakhniuk and Dario Ciobotaru, who earned the official clincher.  All those wins were in straight sets except for Kakhniuk’s, which went three.  Tallakson was first to finish, dusting off Accossatto 6-2, 6-1 for a 2-0 lead.  South Alabam got one back at No. 2 when Braden Hannig beat Georgio Samaha 6-3, 6-4, but that was the lone point for the Jaguars.

Balkesar won three and two over Hadzimehmedovi and Ciobotaru clinched it with a two and four win.  The other two matches finished, with Noroozian winning 6-1, 7-6 (7-4) and then Kakhniuk bouncing back from a second-set loss to win 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.

NOTES: Noroozian’s win was his third straight, all at No. 1 … the Lobos are a combined 0-7 at No. 2 singles this season …Kakhniuk and Ciobotaru each won their 12th match, one behind Noroozian … the Lobos also have not won a match at No. 2 doubles, going 0-5 with two halts.