ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. --- The Lobos end their regular season on Friday at Air Force in a match that was originally scheduled for Thursday, taking on the Falcons at 11 am at the Academy.
The match is a good one to work out some kinks before the conference tournament, because, as far as the standings go, it's more academic than anything else. The Lobos, with a win, would clinch a winning record for UNM, which is 12-11 on the season. Regardless of the result, UNM will be the No. 9 seed in the upcoming Mountain West Tournament, taking on either Wyoming, Nevada, or Utah State.
A win would mean at best a tie for eighth with Wyoming, and UNM loses that tiebreaker due to a 4-1 loss in the regular season. Even with a loss to Air Force, UNM would at worst tie for ninth with Colorado State, and UNM beat CSU 4-3, so UNM, regardless, is the No. 9 seed.
The Lobo will play in the Mountain West Tournament on Wednesday, April 22, at 2 p.m. Mountain Time at the Darling Tennis Center in Las Vegas.
What UNM would prefer is a win, which would spoil Senior Day at Air Force and give the team some momentum heading into the conference tournament. UNM was without Vianca Corley in singles last week, as the No. 2 singles player for UNM played only doubles. The Lobos have also moved some of their doubles pairings around as head coach Vicky Maes looks for a spark at the end of the season.
UNM's hottest player has been Yu Yun "Kathy" Tsai, who is one win away from a 20-win season in both singles and doubles. Entering Friday's match, she has won nine of her last 12 singles matches.