ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. --- In a match that was equal parts testy and nasty, and one not without controversy, most involving a former Lobo, the No. 64 Boise State Broncos held on for a harrowing 4-3 victory over a shorthanded New Mexico squad.
The win pushed Boise State to 19-6 overall and 3-1 in the Mountain West, while the Lobos dropped to 5-13 and 0-3 in the Mountain West. UNM steps out of conference play next week to host New Mexico State on Saturday at 3 p.m. at McKinnon Family Tennis Stadium.
The Lobos, down three players due to injuries, battled the whole way. It looked like the doubles point was secured as well, which would have given UNM a 1-0 lead. After Connor Dils and Tyler Waddock took a 6-3 win at No. 3 doubles, Alberto Perez and Jakub Prachar were up 5-4 and up 40-15 when former Lobo Avery Tallakson hit a forehand winner, but Perez and Prachar argued his racquet hit the net, which would have ended doubles with UNM up 1-0. Perez and Prachar's celebration turned into an argument when the call went BSU's way, and the pair never recovered, dropping three straight games, giving the Broncos a 1-0 lead.
That doubles point ended up as the key. The teams split the opening singles sets three each, with none wilder than No. 5 singles, where Tyler Waddock and Taiyo Kurata waged an epic battle in a tiebreaker. Waddock overcame four set points, and some heckling from the Broncos (which produced a warning) for a wild 13-11 opening set win.
Dario Ciobotaru won his opening set 6-4 at No. 1 over Tallakson, and Dils won his 6-2.
The Broncos took Court 4 for a 2-0 lead, but Dils picked up his headiest win of the season, giving UNM its first point with a 6-2, 6-4 win to make it 2-1.
Ciobotaru then finished off his former teammate 6-4, 6-4, with Ciobotaru standing up at the net for the customary handshake, leading to a rare occurrence in college tennis, but a healthy chorus of boos for the player who last year beat Boise State to clinch UNM's Mountain West Tournament title.
Handshake or not, it was suddenly 2-2, although the Broncos took No. 3 singles in a tiebreaker, winning 6-3, 7-6 (7-3).
UNM needed the last two matches. Philip Bosin, who lost his opening set 6-4, bounced back with a 6-4 win to send his match to a third. Waddock, after the wild 13-11 tiebreaker, fell quickly behind 3-0, but rallied with the final six games for a 7-6 (13-11), 6-3 win, and it all came down to Bosin against Stewart Aronson.
Aronson held serve, sandwiched around a break of Bosin for a 3-0 lead. Phil held for 3-1, and then went up love-30 after a double fault and a rare unforced error from Aronson. That ignited Aronson, however, as he reeled off eight straight points to take a 5-1 lead.
Bosing again held serve, but Aronson served out a love-game to clinch the win, handing UNM its second 4-3 loss to a nationally-ranked team in conference play.