Colorado
New Mexico
Buffs Comeback Comes Up Short Against No. 64 UNM
January 22, 2016 | Tennis
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Colorado's tennis team passed the toughness test in its first of what will be many matches against nationally-ranked opponents this season, but New Mexico held off a Buffaloes comeback to win 5-2 on Friday night in Albuquerque. The loss dropped CU to 1-1 on the season, while the 64th-ranked Lobos improved to 1-0.
"We didn't lose for lack of effort or for not trying," head coach Nicole Kenneally said after the match. "Credit New Mexico for playing solid. We need to continue to work on our discipline and our starts to matches. When we get into deuce point, we need to make sure we do what we know. But our competition level was very good tonight."
CU trailed 3-2 as the final two singles matches were heading to a third set to decide the match. Jeannez Daniel at No. 4 and Kyra Wojcik at No. 5 were the final two Buffs on the court and both battled to keep the team alive. Both players dropped their first set 6-2. Daniel then breezed to a 6-3 win in the second set, while Wojcik fought off match points four times in the second set to win 7-6 (15-13 in the tiebreaker).
"Kyra pulled out an unbelievable second set after getting off to a slow start in the match," said Kenneally.
Unfortunately the luck ran out for CU as both players dropped the third set. Despite going to deuce in every game in the third, Daniel fell 6-3 in the deciding set, while Wojcik dropped a 7-5 decision. Despite the disappointment in the result on the schedule, Kenneally was pleased with her team's effort.
"We pulled back into it," Kenneally said. "That's a very positive thing to take from the match. I was happy to see the resiliency early in the season . We need to use that match as motivation to lead us into our upcoming matches."
CU fell behind early in the match, dropping the doubles point as UNM won 6-3 at No. 2 and 6-2 at No. 3.
The Lobos led 2-0 after a straight-set win at No. 3 singles, but the Buffaloes put up a fight after that. Tina Bokhua, playing her first dual match of the season after sitting out against Air Force on Sunday with an injury, won 6-3, 6-3 over Andrea LeBlanc, the 85th-ranked player in the country. Bokhua also had a win over a ranked opponent during the fall season.
Nuria Ormeño Ruiz then tied the match at 2-2 after a 6-4, 6-3 win over Emily Olivier at No. 1. UNM regained its lead at 3-2 after Alex Aiello dropped a tight 7-5, 6-4 match at No. 6 singles before the final two matches finished.
CU will look to get back in the win column on Sunday when it faces UTEP at 11 a.m. in Albuquerque.
2015-16 Colorado Buffaloes
Colorado vs New Mexico (Jan 22, 2016)
#64 New Mexico 5, Colorado 2
Jan 22, 2016 at Albuquerque, N.M. (Randy Briggs Tennis Dome)
| Singles competition |
| 1. Ormeno Ruiz, Nuria (COLO) def. Olivier, Emily (UNM) 6-4, 6-3 |
| 2. Bokhua, Tina (COLO) def. #85 LeBlanc, Andrea (UNM) 6-3, 6-3 |
| 3. Dulski, Dominique (UNM) def. Andrinopoulos, A. (COLO) 6-2, 6-2 |
| 4. Copas, Ruth (UNM) def. Daniel, Jeannez (COLO) 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 |
| 5. Burguiere, Ludivine (UNM) def. Wojcik, Kyra (COLO) 6-2, 6-7 (13-15), 7-5 |
| 6. Bhat, Rachana (UNM) def. Aiello, Alex (COLO) 7-5, 6-4 |
| Doubles competition |
| 1. Olivier, Emily/Burguiere, Ludivine (UNM) vs. Ormeno Ruiz, Nuria/Daniel, Jeannez (COLO) 5-4, unfinished |
| 2. LeBlanc, Andrea/Copas, Ruth (UNM) def. Wojcik, Kyra/Andrinopoulos, A. (COLO) 6-3 |
| 3. Dulski, Dominique/Bhat, Rachana (UNM) def. Bokhua, Tina/Aiello, Alex (COLO) 6-2 |
| Match Notes |
| Colorado 1-1 |
| New Mexico 1-0; National ranking #64 |
| Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (3,2,1,6,4,5) |
| T-3:15 A-132 |
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