The UNM women’s tennis team finds itself in an unfamiliar position entering the 2010 dual season.
For the first time in more than a decade, the Lobos are the underdogs. Usually known as one of the top teams in the Mountain West Conference, UNM trails No. 27 Texas Christian, No. 41 UNLV, No. 42 San Diego State, No. 62 Utah and No. 64 Brigham Young in Intercollegiate Tennis Association national polls.
But that doesn’t deter the Lobos.
“We’re in a position to pick up some upsets this season,” said head coach Roy Cañada. “All the pressure in the world is on higher-ranked teams to beat us. At the same time, we have nothing to lose.”
That’s not to say the cards aren’t stacked against the up-and-coming Lobos.
“We have one of the youngest teams,” Cañada said. “We don’t have any seniors on our roster, and our two juniors are the only players with any real significant experience.”
UNM will rely on leadership from juniors Ashley Bonner and Anya Villanueva. Both bring two years of playing experience to the young team.
“Anya and Ashley were kind of thrust into a leadership role,” Cañada said. “They went from competing for a spot on the team last year to the No. 1 and No. 2 spots this semester.”
The Lobos also picked up newcomers Kristin Eggleston of Palm Desert, Calif., Michaela Oldani of Scottsdale, Ariz., Laura Richardson of St. Louis, Mo., and Amy Shipperd of Melbourne, Australia, who have all rapidly gained collegiate experience in the fall season.
“The freshmen bring a lot of energy and excitement to the team,” Bonner said. “The cool thing is that they’ve improved so much in such a short amount of time they’ve been here. They make practice exciting and fun, and it’s great to be around so many players who want to better their games.”
Bonner said the fact that the Lobos will play their first three matches of the season on the road is actually a blessing in disguise.
“I’m excited to travel with the team,” she said. “Road games give the team an opportunity to really bond and get to know each other. It’s actually a lot of fun.”
And that fun is something UNM hopes to maintain throughout the season.
“We have a positive outlook on the season,” Bonner said. “We just want to improve with every match and keep getting better. If we do that, we’ll be a pretty decent team by the end of the season. We’re all just so excited for the season to begin.”
*Women’s tennis vs. Tulane
Friday, 5 p.m.
Lubbock, Texas*
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