The New Mexico women’s tennis team came out on the right side of a sweep Friday afternoon against Colorado State in the conference home opener, held at its new-look outdoor venue.
The McKinnon Family Tennis Court underwent some changes the past two weeks, including the installation of a covered awning, which also doubles as a solar panel, for fans to stay out of the sun.
The change didn’t affect the Lobos' play, though, as the team cruised to victory.
New Mexico’s Dominique Dulski and Emily Olivier teamed up to play at the number 1 position. They defeated Aina Hernandez-Soler and Madison Porter, cruising to a 6-0 victory.
“We got down to work; we weren’t there to play around,” Dulski said. “Emily is a great player and we play really well together. We wanted to get off the court quick.”
Ludivine Burguiere and Andrea Leblanc were also victorious, earning the doubles point to put the Lobos up 1-0.
Leblanc used the momentum to make quick work of Laia Hernandez-Soler in singles play, winning in straight sets, 6-0, 6-2. Teammate Rachana Bhat also earned a straight set win to put the Lobos within one point of a team victory.
Burguiere earned the clinching point by defeating Maddie Buxton, 6-0, 6-3. However, the schools elected to finish out the remaining three matches.
Olivier put the Lobos ahead 5-0 when she earned another straight set victory over one of her doubles opponents, 6-1, 6-3.
Dulski gutted out a victory after going down a break in the first set. After trailing 3-5, she surrendered only one game for the rest of the match, completing the comeback, 7-5, 6-1.
“I was missing everything by a few inches, so I just needed to bring my targets in, focus and relax, “ Dulski said. “I noticed a pattern that if I could expose her backhand, I could pull her out into the open court. After that, things kind of turned around for me.”
Sharon Coone completed the sweep, besting her opponent, 6-1, 6-3 for the 7-0 team victory. The win improves the Lobos record to 8-6 on the season (1-0 MW) and protects its unblemished record at home.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Head coach Kelcy McKenna said the team did a good job taking care of what it needed to, but need to make some adjustments before the next match. The team needs to ensure it is playing its brand of tennis and dictating the points, she said.
The head coach said it was nice to have such a large crowd show up for the second annual UNM Faculty & Staff Appreciation Day. She said the team is very appreciative of all the things the staff and faculty do to help on a daily basis.
Gale Jancsics, a tennis player in Albuquerque, was one of the lucky raffle winners. She said the women played very well and enjoys brining her daughter to watch the team play.
“It was a great match,” she said. “We all try to come out and support the girls.”
On Sunday, New Mexico will face Wyoming, which just completed a sweep of Air Force to bring its record to 8-9. The match will take place at McKinnon Family Tennis Center, weather permitting.
Robert Maler is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers cross country, tennis, and track and field. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @robert_maler.
