The UNM women's tennis team notched another win in the Rio Grande Rivalry series, improving its overall record to 26-3 all-time against the Aggies.
More importantly, the Lobos ended a five-game losing streak Sunday with a 5-2 win over in-state rival New Mexico State at the UNM Tennis Complex.
The Lobos are now 3-7 overall, while the Aggies fell to 5-4 on the year.
Head coach Kathy Kolankiewicz said the win boosted the team's confidence.
"It was really nice getting this win," she said. "We know NMSU is a big match in our schools' eyes because they are our biggest rivals. They came into this match on a three-game winning streak, and they were expected to beat us."
Sophomore Ashley Bonner said last week's 6:45 a.m. practices paid off for the Lobos.
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"We worked so hard this past week," she said. "Our early morning practices got us ready for the match. I think we really earned this win in practice last week."
UNM started out with a loss in the doubles point.
Senior Ola Abou-Zekry and sophomore Emma Hayman were 8-3 winners over NMSU's Aleksa Costa and Sophia Marks. However, the Lobos dropped the other two doubles matches to lose the doubles point.
"Doubles is such a momentum-builder and a mental thing," Kolankiewicz said. "When you lose the doubles point, you have to win two-thirds of the singles points to win the match. And that's not easy to do."
Hayman said the Lobos are still working to improve their doubles play.
"I think the doubles is slowly getting better," she said. "We've tried a few new team combinations, and we just need to stick with those combinations and get used to our partners. We also need to improve our net play and aggression because we're not putting enough balls away at the net."
UNM came out on a roll in singles, winning five-of-six matches for the 5-2 win.
Hayman clinched the match with a 6-2, 6-7, 6-1 win over NMSU's Stephanie Eusebe.
"I was up and down after the first set when I was on a bit of a roll," Hayman said. "But she started playing better, and I started making some errors late in the second set. Once I lost that set, I was a little annoyed. I knew the team score, and I knew that the match potentially relied on the outcome of my match. So I dug deep and it paid off."
Bonner added a security point with a 6-7, 6-2, 6-1 victory against NMSU's Natalia Salum Soto.
Bonner said she was glad she could add to the Aggies' defeat.
"We've been down for a while," she said. "So, just to see the coaches' faces and finally see some smiles again was great. If we can keep this up, I have no doubt that this team can beat anyone."
The Lobos will next take the court against Wichita State at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
Kolankiewicz said UNM plans to carry its momentum into next weekend's match.
"Wichita State is a team that is very comparable to what we've played," she said. "This match helped us with our confidence. It was a hard-fought battle, and we'll continue to grow from here."
Women's tennis vs. Wichita State
Saturday, 10 a.m.
UNM Tennis Complex
