by Brandon Call
Daily Lobo
The UNM women's tennis team will have some expectations to live up to this season.
The Lobos enter the 2007 spring season ranked No. 45 in national polls by the Intercollegiate Tennis
Association.
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"It's a great ranking, but I think we can do better," assistant coach Roy Ca§ada said. "We really have a team that can get into the top 35, and that's what we're shooting for."
UNM, which graduated one senior from last year's squad, returns many familiar faces.
Senior Iva Gersic, who played most of last season at the No. 2 singles position, will be at the top spot for UNM this year.
The senior found mixed results during the team's fall schedule.
"It wasn't too bad," Gersic said. "It was actually pretty good. Coming back from the summer and not having played for three months, I thought I improved with
each match."
Gersic's progress climaxed during San Diego State's Fall Invite from Nov. 3 to 5, where she defeated teammate Ola Abou-Zekry in the tournament finals.
The success earned Gersic a No. 3 ranking in the Central Region by the ITA. Junior Abou-Zekry and freshman Sandra Zmak also posted impressive rankings at 20th and 30th, respectively.
Abou-Zekry, who finished the fall season with an 11-2 record, also achieved her first-ever national singles ranking at No. 62.
She said she was excited to be recognized for her play.
"I had a few ranking points, but I wasn't expecting to be ranked that high," she said.
Head coach Kathy Kolankiewicz said the ranking is a huge accomplishment.
"Ola had a fantastic fall semester," Kolankiewicz said. "She is looking forward to a great spring."
The Lobos also had two doubles teams rank among the top in the region. Gersic and junior Lucy Scott have a No. 4 ranking, while the tandem of senior Nora Quintal and sophomore Mackenzie White were
ranked No. 12.
With only a week left until the first spring match, the team is ready to add to the strong fall showing,
Ca§ada said.
"We're looking pretty good," he said. "We've been working hard, and I'm excited for the season."
The Mountain West Conference is loaded, with five teams ranked in the top 50. Texas Christian is the highest ranked at No. 16, while Brigham Young is second at No. 30. San Diego State comes in at No. 39, while the University of Nevada-Las Vegas is at No. 48.
Ca§ada said he is not surprised with the rankings.
"Historically, BYU and TCU have been on top," he said. "They are consistently in the top three."
TCU dominated conference play last year but has a young team this season, Ca§ada said.
"They lost a couple of key players," he said. "It will be interesting to see who they replaced them with. They look good on paper, but I still want to see them play."
However, BYU does not face the same problem.
"BYU pretty much has the same team coming back,"
Ca§ada said. "They will be very tough. They will definitely be a team to beat."
Overall, the Lobos welcome the challenge, he said.
"The field is tough," Ca§ada said. "There are going to be teams that are ranked 10 or 15 spots ahead of us. They are just as talented as we are, and we can compete with
anyone."
Women's tennis at UTEP
Feb. 3, noon
Lubbock, Texas
