The No. 54 UNM men's tennis team experienced déjÖ vu Friday.
The Lobos lost a 4-3 heartbreaker to No. 22 Boise State at home.
The loss comes less than a week after falling 4-3 to the Broncos in the finals of the Mountain Regional Playoffs on Jan. 19 in Boise, Idaho.
"I'm very sorry that the guys didn't win this one," head coach Alan Dils said. "I think it's important to remember that Boise State is a very deep team. Every one of their players is a junior or senior. I'm just really proud of the fight that we gave them again."
Senior Lobo Max Jones, ranked No. 35 in the country, upset No. 19 Clancy Shields in three sets. Jones rallied back for a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 win.
Dils said the victory is special for Jones.
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"Max has had trouble with both Shields brothers during his career," he said. "This is probably the last chance to play one, and he comes up with the victory in the end. This will definitely boost his confidence for the season and his ranking, too."
Jones said he was motivated by his teammates.
"For me, being a set down and seeing the other guys battle really helped me," he said. "Looking over and seeing Graeme (Kassautzki) fight and Joe (Wood) push through a third set helped to fire me up for the comeback."
Wins by senior Chris Parkes at the No. 3 position and Kassautzki at the No. 4 spot tied the dual at 3-3.
Freshman Joe Wood dropped the deciding match to No. 65 Eric Roberson. After taking the first set 6-4, Wood dropped the second 4-6 before losing 4-7 in a third-set tiebreak.
"I think, for a freshman playing a senior, Joe handled the pressure extremely well," Dils said. "He was cramping and doing everything he could out there. I think he did a great job."
Wood, who replaced an injured Miles Bugby at the No. 6 position, said he was driven to fight through cramping by crowd support.
"You look across, and all the fans are there cheering on," he said. "You have to find a way to continue on. All I could think about is trying to get in the point and make shots."
With the loss, the Lobos fall to 1-2 on the season.
Wood said that despite the two losses to Boise State, UNM is sure of its abilities.
"The confidence we take from the last two matches against Boise State puts us in position for an excellent season," he said. "We hope for great things this season. All we have to do is continue on from here."
Dils said the Lobos should have a good season.
"We know we can hang with higher-ranked schools," he said. "We have a really good schedule, both home and away, that gives us a chance to play some tough teams. If we continue to play with that much heart and effort and composure, we're going to win a lot of matches this season."
Men's tennis at Vanderbilt
Feb. 7, 1 p.m.
Nashville, Tenn.
