The UNM women's tennis team got back on the winning track Saturday, downing the University of Texas at El Paso 7-0 while dropping only one set in nine matches.
Head coach Kathy Kolankiewicz said the victory was just what the Lobos needed after losing 4-3 to the University of Oklahoma Tuesday.
"This match was very important," she said. "The past two-and-a-half weeks we've had some really close matches. Tuesday's match took a lot out of us. In all our matches today I don't think we played great, but we played well enough to win."
The Lobos began the day by sweeping the doubles matches. Kolankiewicz shuffled the lineup, dropping Regula Comtesse and Maria Ruiz-Fabrega and adding the team of Tiffany Robertson and Sandy Lukowski.
"We're still trying to figure out what our doubles teams should be and who can handle the pressure," Kolankiewicz said. "I know the players get a little frustrated when they're not playing but we need to find the right chemistry so we can win the doubles point."
The move paid off as Robertson and Lukowski scored an easy victory over Callie Dand and Elisa Bjorklund 8-1 at the number three doubles position.
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UNM's Tjasa Suvak and Rachel Hatley took the number one position over Joanne Furdyna and Dione Gonzales 8-6.
The Lobos jumped out to a 4-0 lead on two service breaks but Furdyna and Gonzales fought back to tie the game before UNM put the match away by winning the final two games.
"The first few games we hit quite a few good strokes and they couldn't find their game," Suvak said. "Then they came back and played really well, especially at the net. But me and Rachel came back with some lobs and some really great shots and finished the match."
At the number two doubles position, UNM's Michele Heidlbrink and Courtney Chaote also jumped out to an early lead and fought off a valiant comeback by Kendall Exelby and Elizabeth Stone to win 8-6.
The Lobos dominated the singles matches, dropping only one set.
Suvak made short work of Stone in the number one position, setting the pace for the Lobos with a 6-0, 6-1 victory.
"I felt like I had everything under control," Suvak said. "I was a little tired because I've been sick all week. I just had to focus and forget that I was sick and concentrate on my game."
At number two singles, Lukowski added to the Lobos onslaught with a 6-4, 6-2 drubbing of Furdyna.
Choate earned a hard-fought victory at number three singles 6-2, 7-5 over Dand. The match featured numerous long rallies and it looked as though Dand would stretch the match to three sets, grabbing a 5-4 lead in the second set with a break of serve in hand.
Choate battled back though, breaking Dand's last two service games while holding her own serve to get the win.
Heidlbrink struggled in the first set against Exelby but she rallied in the final two sets to cruise to a 2-6, 6-1, 6-1 win in the number four singles match.
At the number five position, Robertson crushed Teodora Spirta 6-0, 6-2.
Robertson said it was an important victory because she lost a pivotal match to Oklahoma.
"It takes a little bit to get back and have confidence," she said. "I really wanted to get my first serve percentage high. She had problems returning it, which would get me a short ball. I would attack from there and keep her under pressure."
Hatley rounded out the singles matches with an easy 6-3, 6-0 win at the number six position.
The Lobos will try to keep the momentum going next week when they travel to Lubbock, Texas, to play Texas Tech University on Feb. 16 and 22nd-ranked Texas Christian University Feb. 17.
