ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. --- When UNM last played at home, it was the season opener, and the Lobos picked up a pair of wins over Western New Mexico and CSU Pueblo. UNM now returns home with a 5-2 overall record, picking up three wins away from home, including a road win at Idaho and a neutral site win over a very good UTRGV team.
Now, UNM will look to defend home court as the Lobos host New Mexico State on Friday at noon and Northern Arizona on Saturday at 11 am. Both matches will be free to the public and will be played at McKinnon Family Tennis Stadium.
The Lobos have built a strong lineup one through six in singles. Bente Vandeputte has provided veteran leadership at the top, going 3-3, and No. 1 singles is the only slot that isn't above .500 for UNM. UNM has proven strong at No. 4 singles, posting a perfect 5-0 record, no matter who has played there.
More often than not, UNM has been up 1-0 due to strong doubles play, with Lea Maladrz going 5-0 at No. 3 doubles (and 4-0 when paired with Ana Veroux), and Vandeputte and Yu Yun "Kathy" Tsai pairing up for a 4-1 record.
New Mexico State is just 1-5 on the season, its lone win a 4-3 victory over NAU. The Aggies do have a veteran lineup with Montana Parkinson-Lubold, Anna Pinaieva, and Whitney Moon all sporting winning spring records. Where NMSU has struggled is in doubles, where it has won just 2 of 14 matches this season.
NAU is just 1-2 on the year, with a 5-2 win over Air Force. Patryc Niewiadomska is 2-1 in singles and 3-0 in doubles to lead the 'Jacks.