UNM Back in Win Column with Shutout of SDSU
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Aram Noroozian rejoined the Lobo lineup after a brief illness, and UNM immediately got back to its winning ways as the No. 73 Lobos took down San Diego State to the tune of a 4-0 shutout, pushing UNM to 2-1 in the Mountain West and 11-8 overall. SDSU dropped to 8-11 and 1-3 in conference play.
The Lobos lost a pair of 4-3 matches on the road, to Air Force and Denver, without Noroozian, and he made his presence felt immediately as he and teammate Georgio Samaha threw a 6-0 shutout of Denis Maijorov and Alexander Mandma. That set the tone of the day for UNM. Daniil Kakhniuk and Nicolas Recoura finished off the doubles point with a 6-1 win, and doubles was over inside of 25 minutes.
In singles, UNM got two straight set wins and a three-setter for the victory. The straight set wins were courtesy of UNM’s two transfers. Dario Ciobotaru continued his hot play with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Phillip Bosse at No. 3 singles, and Aditya Balsekar won 6-1, 6-4 at No. 2 over Mandma, and UNM was up 3-0.
The clinch didn’t come too easy however. Avery Tallakson and Daniil Kakhniuk both dropped opening sets but won seconds to force a decider on both courts. Noroozian and Samaha did the reverse, winning their first but losing a second. It allowed the Aztecs a glimmer of hope but whatever light in the darkness they had, Tallakson snuffed it out. He was methodical after his opening set loss, sending his opponent running with a variety of smashes, volleys and well-placed winners. It added up to a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory, giving UNM the match and setting up a key match on Sunday as UNM hosts UNLV at 11 am on Senior Day as UNM’s Noroozian, Samaha, Balkesar and Kakhniuk each will play in their final home matches.
NOTE: Sunday’s match is a part of the UNM Block Party promotion as men’s tennis, softball and baseball are all playing on Sunday with tennis at 11 am and baseball and softball at noon. Lobo fans coming to tennis can get in free provided they are in the gates by the 11 am Senior Day ceremony.