Lobos Nab Comeback Win 4-2 Over Utah State
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Vicky Maes certainly won’t need any heart mediciation, but she also can breathe a little easier after winning another nailbiter. Down 2-0, the Lobos worked back to take a 3-2 lead, and then Marika Matsoukatidi bouned back from a 4-1 deficit in the third set to serve out a wild 7-5 third set win to give UNM a 4-2 victory in its first home match in nine matches, defeating a game Utah State Aggie squad.
The win evened UNM’s record at 8-8, and the Lobos moved to 2-1 in the Mountain West headed into a key road matchup with conference leader UNLV.
UNM fell behind 1-0 as the Aggie swept doubles. Natalie Paterova and Maria Ramos Garcia defeated Matsoukatidi and Sofia Taborga 6-4 and Indya Nespor and Cielo Tapia-Cruz won 6-2 at No. 2 over Maude Vandeputte and Coumba Ben Niangadou. That moved quickly to 2-0 when UNM lost No. 3 singles as Rebekkah Gaines fell 6-4, 6-2 to Niyati Kukreti. However, that was the last victoy for the Aggies.
UNM was in good shape having won the opening set in the other five singles matches, putting the pressure on. It was just four, but Sarah O’Connor won a 7-3 tiebreaker at No. 2 singles to make it five and give UNM a little breathing room. Sofia Taborga and Maria Sodre won matches to even things at 2-2. Taborga won 6-3, 6-2 at No. 6 over Ana Sabikova and Sodre won 7-5, 6-2 over Tapia-Cruz at No. 5. That win ended a five-match losing streak for her and it evened the match at 2-2.
O’Connor put the finishing touches on her match with a 6-3 second set win over Olivia Halvorsen at No. 2 singles, but both Maud Vandepuute at No. 1 and Matsoukatidi at No. 4 lost their second sets.
Matsoukatidi was down 4-1 when Vandeputte started her third set, but she held serve and then quickly got a break of serve to be down on serve 4-3. She held, and Paterova, like Matsoukatidi a freshman, also held. That made it 5-4 Paterova with a chance to break and make it 3-3, but it never happened. Matsoukatidi needed just five points to tie things at 5-5, and then she took advantage of a pair of double-faults and an unforced error to get the break of serve she needed to make it 6-5. While she was doing that, Vandeputte pushed up to 4-0 ahead in her third, giving UNM two outlets for a win.
Matsoukatidi made sure only hers was needed. She finished off a run of six games won in seven, twice putting passing shots away including an overhand smash to hold serve and clinch a tense 4-2 win.
The Lobos now head back on the road for a match at UNLV on Sunday at 11 am Pacific, noon Mountain.
NOTES: Vandeputte was five points away from a 10-1 Spring record and a perfect 5-0 at No. 1 … Taborga moved to 8-3 at No. 6 singles.