by Brandon Call
Daily Lobo
If the UNM women's tennis team was worried about its upcoming season, it can put its uncertainties to rest after this weekend.
Three Lobo singles players and a doubles team reached the finals of the UNM Fall Individual Invitational this weekend at the UNM Tennis Complex.
"I'm real happy with the way that we played this weekend," head coach Kathy Kolankiewicz said. "On Friday, we had an awesome day, winning 10 of 10 matches. We haven't done that in a while."
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Freshman Victoria Tessmar was a 2-6, 6-0, 10-7 winner of the Flight C singles draw over Northern Arizona University's Aimee Oki.
Tessmar said that after dropping the first set, she was determined to win.
"I definitely had support from my teammates," she said. "They were right there cheering me on. But I started to hit the ball more consistent in the second set, and I stopped making unforced errors."
Senior Jennifer Ryba lost to Stacey Housley of Boise State in the top singles flight 2-6, 6-2, 6-0.
Ryba said losing focus toward the end of the match cost her the win.
"I played really well in the first set," she said. "I was focused and hitting really well. I let her get ahead in the second set. She started rolling, and I made a few unforced errors."
Kolankiewicz said that despite the loss, Ryba is on top of her game.
"Jen is playing the best tennis I've seen her play," she said. "Even though she lost in the final, she had an excellent tournament."
Ryba teamed up with freshman Emma Hayman to win consolation in doubles. After dropping their first match of the tournament, Ryba and Hayman rebounded by winning three straight matches. They were 8-4 winners over NAU's Orsi Golovics and Edit Suhajda in the final.
"Emma and I have a great chemistry on court," Ryba said. "We're good friends, and I think it shows with the way that we play tennis together. We just have fun out there, and that's what doubles is all about."
In Flight B, Junior Maria Sotirchos fell to NAU's Kim Van Ginkel 7-5, 6-0.
Sotirchos and junior Mackenzie White reached the doubles final in Flight A, before falling 9-7 to NMSU's Stephanie Eusebe and Paulina Zuniga in the final.
"The match was very close," Sotirchos said. "It came down to a few points, and really it could have gone either way. But I'm happy with the way Mackenzie and I played, considering it was our first time playing together."
The Lobos posted a combined 19-7 record during the four-day event.
Kolankiewicz said she noticed considerable improvements over the weekend.
"We're hitting the ball a lot better," she said. "We're starting to put together our points better and therefore winning more games, more sets and more matches."
UNM will conclude its fall schedule by traveling to Tallahassee, Fla., for the Florida State Invitational on Nov. 2.
Kolankiewicz said the tournament will be a test for the Lobos.
"We'll be playing teams that we never get a chance to see," she said. "It will be exciting for us but a challenge. We'll be playing very early, starting at 6 a.m. our time and warming up at 5 a.m. So, it's exciting, and we're looking forward to the challenge."
Women's tennis at Florida State Invitational
Nov. 2, all day
Tallahassee, Fla.
