The New Mexico women’s tennis team picked a perfect time to peak, picking up a pair of victories on the road to remain unbeaten in conference play.
UNM started its road trip at the Appleton Tennis Center against Boise State on Friday. The schools traded wins in the first two doubles matches, but the Lobos netted the first point when Dominique Dulski and Emily Olivier closed out their match, 6-3 to go up 1-0 in the team score.
The doubles point proved to be an important win, as Boise State and New Mexico continued to trade points through the first four matches of singles play. One of the most pivotal moments in the matchup came when freshman Ruth Copas pulled through after substituting for Dulski, who sat out due to an illness.
Copas picked up a straight set victory over Naomi Hart, 6-3, 6-4. Head coach Kelcy McKenna said Copas stepping up in the situation was a big moment and it gave her great experience playing a conference rival on the road.
“For Ruth to come in and play and contribute in terms of energy and also being able to get a win does a lot for her confidence,” McKenna said. “That’s huge, and for her to do it for her teammates was even better.
In the fourth singles match, Boise State closed the gap 3-2 when Bobbi Oshiro got by Andrea Leblanc in a tightly contested matchup. Leblanc lost the first set, but battled back to take the second in a tiebreaker. Oshiro hung on to take the third and win, 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 7-5.
Olivier again seized the opportunity to score a point for her team, this time in singles competition. She picked herself up, after dropping the first set 6-3, to defeat Teal Vosburgh, 6-4, 6-3 and clinch the team victory.
The schools finished the remaining match as Rachana Bhat recorded another point for the Lobos to earn the 5-2 team victory over the Broncos.
On Sunday, New Mexico squared off against Utah State in its regular season conference road finale.
New Mexico wasted no time as the schools played a clinch format, picking up the doubles point by winning the first two matches to go ahead 1-0.
The Lobos made quick work of the Aggies in singles play as well. Ludivine Burguiere got off the court first, besting her opponent, Maggie O’Meara, 6-3, 6-3.
Dulski notched the third point and Leblanc capped it off for New Mexico as both women were victorious in straight set victories, earning the team a 4-0 sweep over Utah State.
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The win improves the Lobos record to 11-6 on the season, and the team is a perfect 4-0 in the Mountain West.
New Mexico will stay on the road this weekend for another pair of matches before finishing its regular season at home.
The Lobos will enter on a season-high four-match winning streak and is scheduled to play UTEP on Saturday at noon and New Mexico State on Sunday.
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.
