UNM will be playing its final two home matches of the season against UNLV and San Diego State before finishing the regular season with four more conference matches before the conference tournament begins.
With Conference wins against Nevada, Boise State, and Utah State, the Lobos (10-10, 3-1 MW) are now tied for first in the Conference with Fresno State and Utah State. All three sides have three wins and a loss. Nevada and UNLV are tied for fifth; having each won two matches and lost two matches.
The rankings at the end of Conference play determine the seeding in the Mountain West Conference tournament; all eight of the conference teams will thus be fighting for the best conference rankings possible.
With four games left, there is still much to play for, and with a win against the Lobos, UNLV (14-7, 2-2 MW) would draw level with UNM in terms of wins. The Rebels have won three of their last five matches, and one of those wins came against Fresno State, a team that has defeated the Lobos twice this season.
However, UNLV has a much stronger home record (12-3) than it does on the road, winning only one of their four away matches this season. In order to beat a UNM side that has only lost once at home this season, the Rebels will need to match the performance that saw them beat Fresno State.
On Sunday, two days after their match against UNLV, the Lobos will face San Diego State. Unlike the Rebels, San Diego (5-14, 1-3 MW) have struggled this season. The Aztecs have lost their last nine matches in a row, and their most recent win came against Boise State on March 5th.
But with four conference matches left to play, there is still hope for the Aztecs—they could still finish as one of the top seeds if the upcoming fixtures swing in their favor.
In the build-up to the weekend, UNM head coach Ben Dunbar made it clear that the team needed to prepare professionally and be completely focused for the upcoming matches. The Lobos have won four out of their last five matches and many players have recently stepped it up. UNM sophomore Ricky Hernandez-Tong still leads the team in singles with 18 wins, and the doubles pair of junior Bart Van Leijsen and freshman Dominic West have won their last four doubles matches in a row. If the Lobos hope to stay in the fight for a top seed, they will need to deliver strong performances against both UNLV and San Diego State.
“They are our last two home matches of the year and we are excited to play at home on our courts again,” Dunbar said. “We hope to have many of our fans come out to support!”
The Lobos will play against UNLV on Friday, April 14th, at 4:00 p.m. MDT, and they will subsequently play San Diego State on Sunday, April 16th, at 1:00 p.m. MDT. The matches will be played at the McKinnon Family Tennis Stadium.
Matthieu Cartron is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers women’s soccer. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @cartron_matt.
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