Thirteen was the number for the UNM men’s and women’s tennis teams.
It’s the number of hours the Lobos spent on court in four matches Saturday at the Linda Estes Tennis Complex. In total, the two squads played 36 matches, 63 sets and 533 games. The men defeated Colorado State-Pueblo and Western New Mexico 7-0 in a doubleheader. Then, the women dismantled Western New Mexico 7-0, before outlasting Abilene Christian 5-2 in the nightcap.
“It makes for one long day of tennis,” women’s head coach Roy Cañada said. “The most difficult part (about playing back-to-back) is being able to stay both physically and mentally tough. It’s definitely a test for the team, and we came through with flying colors.”
The men are now 5-0 overall, while the women improved to 4-2 overall.
Men’s head coach Alan Dils said the weekend allowed him to get every player on his roster more experience.
“That’s something we entered this weekend wanting to do,” he said. “We also didn’t drop a set. So, I’m happy with the outcome, and I’m glad to see everyone step up and win.”
Sophomore Conor Berg, who was a 6-2, 6-1 winner over CSU-Pueblo’s Anthony Breitenbach and a 6-3, 6-2 victor against WNMU’s Rodrigo Almeida, set the program record with 16 consecutive match wins. Berg has not dropped a singles match in more than three months. The last time he lost was Oct. 23.
Berg and junior Ben Dunbar increased their doubles winning streak to 13 matches with an 8-2 triumph over WNMU’s Emmanuel Mensah and Johan Weich.
Dils said the winning streaks are unlike anything he’s seen in his 14 years of coaching.
“It is difficult to do no matter where in the lineup you play,” he said. “You’ve got to bring your A-game day in and day out. With the level of competition that we face, if you have one little slip-up, you are going to lose a match.”
On the women’s side, senior Anya Villanueva captured a 6-1, 6-0 win against WNMU’s Emily Lampman and a 6-1, 6-1 victory over ACU’s Cassie Carver. In doubles, Villanueva and senior Ashley Bonner defeated WNMU’s Doris Berberic and Nikolina Vukadin 8-3, before besting ACU’s Julia Mongin and Jaclyn Walker 8-5.
Bonner said the team will feed off the momentum.
“Last year we had a rough start to the season, and we weren’t winning like this,” she said. “Especially with the freshmen coming in, we’ve really stepped up our games. We’re all really driven to fight hard and succeed.”
Villanueva said the team would rest Sunday before getting back to practice Monday.
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“By the end of the day, we’re all running low on energy,” she said. “We need to spend tomorrow resting, but the first thing on Monday we are hitting the court and preparing for our next matches.”
