The UNM men's tennis team had very little trouble with Illinois State University Thursday, sweeping the Redbirds 7-0 at the Lobo Tennis Club.
The 65th-ranked Lobos (4-4) lost only one match in the victory and did not lose one set in singles action.
"We had some scores that looked one sided," head coach Alan Dils said. "This is one of our best efforts this season."
The number one singles position was the only singles match that provided any worries for UNM. Sophomore Divan Coetzee matched-up against the Redbirds' Jason Smit. Coetzee took the first set 7-5 and jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second set. Coetzee was in position to finish the match quickly, but Smit ended up prolonging it.
Smit fought back with a variety of shots from lobs to trick shots that momentarily took Coetzee out of his game. After Smit tied the set 4-4, Coetzee regained his composure and won the set 6-4.
A tired and flu-ridden Coetzee said that Smit is a very unorthodox player that uses short and long shots.
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"It is very difficult to get a rhythm against him," he said. "He is very competitive, that's the most difficult part, a simple point can fire him up. My concentration went down."
UNM took care of business quickly in all of the single matches. Junior Bart Scott defeated Ricky Heath 6-4, 6-2 at the number two position. In the number three position, Michael Polasek handled Benjamin Pettinari 6-2, 6-4. Freshman David Kowalski showed his talent in the number four position by ousting Ciaran Foley 6-2, 6-2. John Kowalski had no problem with Marek Blaskovic in the number five position, winning 6-2, 6-1. Finishing off the sweep, Brent Salazar lost only two games in defeating Brent Steven 6-2, 6-0 at the number sixth position.
"They are a pretty solid team," he said. "We did a good job of taking them out of their element. They can be a dangerous team."
The manhandling carried over to doubles action, where Scott and Polasek defeated Heath and Blaskovic 8-6 at the number one position. At the number two position, Ryan Stotland and Salazar easily handled Smit and Brent Seven 8-2. The Lobos' only loss was in the number three doubles position when Coetzee and David Kowalski lost to Pettinari and Foley 9-7.
The Lobos next home match is today when they play against the University of Arkansas-Little Rock at 1 p.m.
