Lobos Drop Senior Day Match 4-3 to BSU
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Once again, the Lobo women’s tennis team played terrific tennis. For a second straight home match, it wasn’t enough by the slimmest of margins.
Sitting with three points, UNM couldn’t convert a second set match point and ended up falling to Boise State 4-3, a second straight home match that ended in a 4-3 loss. The result spoiled Senior Day for a five-person class that comprised over half the active squad.
The Loobs seemed inspired after a well-attended pregame ceremony for seniors Allison Romero, Sofia Taborga, Maria Sodre, Srah O’Connor and Maud Vandeputte. UNM swept the doubles point with Taborga and Marika Matsoukatidi combining for an easy 6-2 win at No. 3, and then Vandeputte and Sodre winning 6-4 to clinch it at No. 1. It got even better when UNM came out and blitzed Boise State to the tune of five opening set wins in singles. Sofia Taborga and Sarah O’Connor quickly earned second set wins, with Taborga winning 6-3, 6-4 over Masa Viriant and O’Connor winning 6-4, 6-2 over Maya Dutta.
With a 3-0 lead, it looked good for UNM, but the Lobos couldn’t clinch it. Paula Schaefer defeated Matsoukatidi 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 for the first point in the comeback, and then arguably one of UNM’s two hottest players, Maria Sodre, lost in straight sets, falling 6-4, 7-6 (7-4). Seemingly it was all fine as Maud Vandeputte was in a third set and was sitting undefeated at No. 1 on the year. However she couldn’t convert a break point on deuce up 4-3, and then Zdena Safarova broke her for a 5-4 lead, and she then served it out.
That left everything to freshman Coumba Ben Niangadou, who joined the singles lineup full-time last week. Niangadou couldn’t convert a pair of match points at 40-30, 5-4 in the second set and eventually fell to Ari Biones Ginstra 2-6, 7-5, 6-3, giving BSU the win.
UNM heads to San Diego State to take on the No. 48 Aztecs on Sunday at 1 p.m. Mountain Time.
