The UNM men's tennis team used a strong overall effort in destroying the University of Nevada at Reno 7-0 Sunday afternoon at the Lobo Tennis Club.
Of the nine matches played, UNM lost only one set and shut out its opponent in six matches. Each UNM player contributed in the easy victory, improving the Lobos' overall record to 10-4. The team remains undefeated at home and has won three straight matches.
"We played really well," head coach Alan Dils said. "They are not as talented as we are, and we came out and did what we needed to do. We all stayed real tough and completed matches mentally."
UNM started off strong, sweeping the doubles matches to gain the point. The number three doubles tandem of freshmen Jasmin Hodzic and Jon Stott won handily, 8-2 over the Wolfpack's Brandon Sieh and Ivan Anderson.
The number two doubles team of senior Andrew Irving and sophomore Brent Salazar won an 8-6 decision over Jason Yelley and Jay Stearley. Down 6-5, Irving and Salazar won the next three games to get the victory.
The most impressive win came from the number one team of senior Takeshi Itoh and sophomore Bart Scott.
With the combination of Scott's power and Itoh's speed and agility, the pair cruised to an 8-0 shutout win over Thomas Hamrik and Daniel Ericsson. The Lobos lost only one point on serve and were threatened only once during the match.
"We put a lot of pressure on them right from the beginning," Scott said. "We took advantage of their serve and returned well. We waited for the right opportunity to attack, and we served really well."
Scott had three aces and constantly smashed the ball past their opponents. Itoh looked like a blur, running from one white line to the next, returning every ball that crossed the net.
"We make a good combination with my power and Itoh's speed," Scott said. "He runs down everything and never gives up, and my power keeps people on edge."
The singles matches were just as impressive as most of the players dominated the Wolfpack players.
Itoh, playing in the top singles position, cruised to a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Hamrik, winning the last eight games. He attacked the net several times and confused Hamrik on what he was going to do next. Number three player junior Diego Garza spent little time in disposing of Yelley 6-2, 6-0. Playing in the fourth position, junior John Kowalski upended Stearley 6-0, 6-4.
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Irving overpowered his opponent at the number five position, ousting Anderson 6-0, 6-1. Irving won the first nine games and had Anderson ducking for cover with every powerful blast. He mainly played from the baseline but occasionally attacked the net. He also mixed up his shots several times, tapping the ball over the net when Anderson was expecting a power shot.
"I controlled the match with my serve," Irving said. "I also took advantage of his second serve, making him defensive. There was not one area of his game where I thought he could hurt me."
The only two players who had trouble were Scott at the number two singles position and senior Kyle Russell at number six. Scott blew out Ericsson in the first set 6-0, but Ericsson recovered and tied the match at one set apiece with a 6-3 victory in the second set. Scott would not let the team down and came out strong in the third set, demolishing Ericsson 6-1 to win the match. Russell downed Brett Bitzer 6-4, 6-4 in a highly competitive match.
The Lobos start Mountain West Conference play on the road next weekend taking on Brigham Young University Friday, March 23 and the University of Utah March 24. UNM's next home game is against the University of Louisiana at Lafayette April 15.
