Intense sweep nets two wins

The men’s tennis team struck down two teams in one day.

UNM swept its competition Saturday, beating Western New Mexico and Colorado State University-Pueblo with the same 7-0 score.

After losing two matches last weekend to Miami and No. 5 Florida, head coach Alan Dils said he was pleased with his team’s improvement.

“I was really happy with most of the players. We played with a good intensity and played hard,” he said. “We were able to work on a few things we have been working on in practice.”

Senior Carl Ho led UNM at the No. 1 spot, as Dils chose to give many of the fringe players a chance to prove themselves.

Ho said he enjoyed leading the team by playing on the first court in both games, and said playing two matches in the same day helped him get into a rhythm.

“We played pretty good, and we got some of the guys lower in the lineup some matches as well,” he said. “It felt good to play on the No. 1 court and help out the other guys.”

In first match against Western New Mexico, the Lobos easily won the doubles point led by Ho and freshman James Hignett, as they won 8-3. In singles play, UNM lost only one set as it earned its first sweep of the day.

In the second match against CSU-Pueblo, UNM improved on its doubles play, dropping only three games, winning 8-1, 8-2, 8-0.
In singles play UNM didn’t drop a single set as it easily beat the Thunderwolves.

Dils said he was impressed with how well his team responded from the losses it suffered last weekend.

“We only lost one set in all the single matches, so overall — pretty good,” he said. “I was really happy. It’s always nice to win a match after you’ve lost one, whether it’s home or away.”

Dils said playing two matches in the same day will help them later in the season, as some players gained valuable experience.

“We have some guys that maybe don’t get to play as much, [and] we are able to get them in some pressure situations,” Dils said. “They have some practice so when they are called on they are ready to go.”