by Brandon Call
Daily Lobo
The UNM men's tennis season just keeps getting better.
With last Friday's upset of No. 18 Minnesota, the Lobos jumped 19 spots in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings to land at No. 40 in a poll released Tuesday.
The ranking is the highest for the Lobos this decade.
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With the higher ranking comes more responsibility, said head coach Alan Dils.
"It puts a bigger target on our back," he said. "We also have to be prepared for other teams to look at us as a good win. They are going to be prepared for us, and we've got to be equally prepared. It forces us to raise our level."
Dils said the ranking also boosts the Lobos' morale.
"It certainly helps our confidence," he said. "It validates a lot of the things we've been doing, what we've been saying and how hard we've been working. But it definitely takes us to another level."
Junior transfer Chris Parkes also climbed the polls to No. 173 in the nation.
Parkes said the individual ranking was a surprise.
"I was shocked to be honest," he said. "I mean, I do play No. 5 and 6 for our team. I really wasn't expecting it."
Since transferring from the University of Bath in England last summer, Parkes has posted an 11-1 record in singles and is 10-3 in doubles.
The transition from England to New Mexico was not an easy one, Parkes said.
"It was a bit difficult adapting to the altitude, because the balls move quite a bit quicker over here," he said. "In terms of lifestyle, there are other British fellows on the team that I live with, so I did adapt quite easily."
Parkes has made a considerable impact on the team this season, Dils said.
"What Chris has done is given us very solid depth," he said. "He just adds strength at that position. The thing about our team is that they can all play with each other. Anybody can take a set off another guy on any given day."
This weekend, UNM concludes its nonconference schedule with matches against No. 13 Texas on Saturday and No. 49 Texas A&M on Sunday.
Dils said both matchups will be a test for the Lobos.
"Texas and Texas A&M both have huge tennis traditions," he said. "They recruit well. They are very tough on their home courts. But we are very excited for the challenge. I don't think there is one guy on our team who isn't ready to go out there and give everything they have and play them to see where we stack up."
Men's tennis
at Texas
Saturday, noon
Austin, Texas
