The UNM women's tennis team won three straight matches this weekend to close out its regular season.
After two 7-0 victories against Wyoming and Air Force on Thursday and Friday, the Lobos rallied to a 5-2 win over Colorado State on Saturday at the UNM Tennis Complex.
UNM finishes 8-13 overall and 4-4 in Mountain West Conference action.
Head coach Kathy Kolankiewicz said she is proud of the Lobos' resilience.
"The three wins for us this weekend are great for our confidence," she said. "We were a little tired playing three matches in three days, but we overcame that, and we fought through the emotion of the weekend to finish the season out with three wins."
On Saturday seniors Ola Abou-Zekry, Mackenzie White and Maria Sotirchos played in their final matches at the Randy Briggs Indoor Tennis Bubble.
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Kolankiewicz said her senior class was outstanding.
"They've all been solid this season," she said. "They're all three playing some of their best tennis right now, and it's so great to peak your senior year and go out on top of your game."
The seniors were a combined 9-0 in singles over the weekend. On Saturday, Abou-Zekry was first off the court with a 6-0, 6-1 win against CSU's Laura Neal. White needed three sets to defeat CSU's Lauren Strasburger 6-0, 4-6, 6-3. Sotirchos overcame a 30-minute delay because of water on her court to clinch the match with a 6-3, 6-1 win.
"It was an emotional day for us seniors," Sotirchos said. "I don't think it has hit us yet that this was our last match at home. It's a little weird thinking that we won't play another collegiate match in the bubble."
Abou-Zekry said the three-match winning streak gives UNM confidence heading into the Mountain West Conference Championships, which will be played April 22-25 at the Jerry Cline Tennis Complex in Albuquerque.
"It's been a rough season," she said. "It's nice to finish 3-0 because we had so many matches in conference that we lost 4-3. It's good to show the younger girls that we can win 7-0, too. And it's always good to finish strong."
White said the Lobos will have an advantage during the conference tournament.
"Besides playing in altitude that we're used to, we'll also have our home fans rooting for us," she said. "This year conference is really wide open. We've played pretty much every team we've faced really close. So, really it's anyone's title for the taking. Who knows? We could surprise some people."
