Served.

The UNM men's tennis team opened its season with a pair of wins this weekend.

The 42nd-ranked Lobos toppled No. 44 Indiana in a 4-3 nailbiter Friday before dismantling No. 75 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 4-2 on Sunday at the UNM Tennis Complex.

With the wins, the Lobos are off to a 2-0 start to the 2009 season.

"You can't ask for a better start from your team," head coach Alan Dils said. "And these were two great teams we faced this weekend, too."

On Friday, UNM jumped off to a 1-0 start after freshmen Elliot Chang and Ben Dunbar won 9-8, 10-8 in a tie-breaker to clinch the doubles point. Then the Lobos notched singles wins from their top three players: seniors Johnny Parkes, Graeme Kassautzki and Miles Bugby.

"Our seniors led the way for us," Dils said after Friday's win. "It's amazing what experience and maturity can do for you. I think the younger guys are still working out some of the nerves and anxiety

associated with playing that first collegiate match."

On Sunday, UNM again won the doubles point with an 8-5 win at the No. 1 position by Parkes and Bugby and an 8-6 victory by Kassautzki and sophomore Joe Wood.

In singles, the Lobos went 2-1 before freshman Carl Ho nabbed a 6-3, 6-4 win over Jaume Farras to seal the deal.

Dils said he saw noticeable improvement from Friday's match to Sunday's match.

"I would say we got 10 to 15 percent better over the course of a two-day span," he said. "I saw some of our freshmen step up to the plate, and that excites me. And I think the whole team was playing better (Sunday)."

UNM was paced individually by Parkes, who went 4-0 in singles and doubles. Parkes is coming off a 5-2 record in fall action, including reaching the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Mountain Regional semifinals last October.

Dils said Parkes is carrying the momentum from his fall campaign into the spring season.

"Johnny is a fantastic leader for our team," he said. "The last few years, it's taken some time for Johnny to really get into the swing of things. He's come back this year and really gotten after it. Anytime you have your No. 1 player playing at that high level, it's great for the team."

Senior Miles Bugby also finished the weekend undefeated at 3-0. Bugby topped Indiana's Guy Kubi 6-3, 6-3 on Friday and was also leading Texas A&M-Corpus Christi's Dmitry Novikov 7-5, 3-0 before the match was called.

Bugby said he is still working out some kinks in his game.

"My serve and forehand are working," he said. "They are probably my biggest asset, and they helped me get out of a few sticky situations. But I am still making a few too many mistakes for my liking."

Up next, the Lobos travel to Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday to face No. 28 Virginia Tech at the ITA Team Indoor Expansion tournament. If UNM wins its first match, the Lobos could face top-ranked Ohio State on Sunday.

Parkes said the team is excited about the possibility of playing the No. 1 team in the country.

"If we can bring our A-game and keep the winning mentality, good things can happen," he said. "I think we can carry this momentum with us to next weekend's competition and then into the rest of the year."

Men's tennis at the ITA Team Indoor Expansion

Saturday, TBA

Columbus, Ohio