Lobos Head to Face MW Leaders with Shot at Title

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The Lobo men’s tennis team has made it to the end of the regular season, and awaiting the squad is the prize they have fought all season for.  The issue is to get to that prize, UNM is going to have to do what no team has been able to do.

Twice.

UNM, sitting at 12-7 overall and 3-1 in the Mountain West, takes on Utah State on Thursday and Boise State on Saturday in the final two matches of the regular season in a batter of the top three teams in the league.  Utah State is likewise 3-1 in the league and 13-7 overall while Boise State is 4-0 in the league, ranked No. 42 in the latest ITA rankings, and 18-4 overall.  However, the issue is Utah State is a perfect 6-0 at home, and Boise State is a perfect 8-0 at home, and having won 10 straight overall.

The Lobos have been pretty hot themselves, going 8-2 over the last 10 matches, and those two losses were both played without No. 1 player Aram Noroozian.  The senior from Vancouver returned last week and UNM rolled to 4-0 wins over both San Diego State and UNLV.  Two wins over the weekend and the Lobos will have themselves the No. 1 seed in the Mountian West Tournament, which comes with the only bye among the seven teams. It would also give UNM its fourth title in seven years as UNM has won titles in 2019, 2021, and 2023.

Noroozian and Samah played well last week in doubles, and Samaha moved into the UNM top-10 in singles wins with 81.  Dario Ciobotaru and Aditya Balsekar picked up key wins in singles, and Avery Tallakson won a pair of matches, giving him a 12-1 record in his last 13 matches as he recorded his first career 20-win singles season.

Utah State has won seven of its last eight, the only loss at Boise State.  The Broncos have won 10 in a row and they own ranked wins over No. 22 Michigan State 4-3 and No. 49 Washington 4-2.