The Lobos claimed the 2015 title tournament after defeating the Wyoming Cowgirls, though the road to the top was far from smooth.
The team had to overcome poor weather conditions, match delays and a few trips to the doctor. But those obstacles were not enough to stop them.
Head coach Erica Jasper said she was very excited for her team, and that even if the Lobos had came up short on Sunday she would have been proud of how everyone competed throughout the tournament.
“We set this out as one of our goals because with the group last year, we weren’t that happy losing in the finals,” she said. “We knew it was going to be a long and hard road. We had our ups and downs during the spring, so to get it done was very spectacular. I am very proud of everybody.”
The Lobos entered the championship as the second seed and were ranked No. 61 nationally. Earlier in the season UNM was ranked as high as No. 31 in the ITA rankings, which was the highest for the program since 2004.
UNM began tournament action on Friday with a quarterfinal battle against Nevada. This match was delayed about two hours due to poor weather conditions. The event had to be moved to the Linda Estes Tennis Complex, an indoor facility.
Jasper was forced to miss this match due to illness, but associate head coach Kelcy McKenna helped lead the Lobos to a 4-1 victory over the Nevada Wolf Pack.
Sophomore Meredith Hopson was also sick throughout the championship, and had to be replaced in the doubles match by sophomore Susan Baklini. Hopson still played all of her singles matches.
The Lobos’ ticket to the finals came after a 4-3 victory against San Jose State. This match was delayed an hour and a half, and proved to be a bit of a roller coaster. UNM took the doubles point, but the team’s first set did not look very favorable since only sophomore Dominique Dulski managed to get a win.
The team improved during the second set, and it all came down to three courts that went into third sets. Wins from senior Natasha Smith, Dulski and freshman Sharon Coone gave UNM a trip to the finals.
After the semifinals, Jasper said she was excited and was ready for the championship match — however, she didn’t want the Lobos to put too much pressure on themselves.
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“When you get this far in a tournament like this, you just have to go out and have a great time,” she said.
On championship day, the Lobos once again began with a 1-0 lead after taking the doubles point. Jasper said winning this point was “huge for the team’s momentum,” but that the battle was still very tough.
Sophomore Emily Olivier won the first court for the Lobos, but after her win there was no telling which team was going to take the other courts.
“All the singles matches were just absolute dog fights,” she said.
The Lobos’ win came down to Smith’s court. Smith, the only senior on the team, was dealing with a lingering ankle injury.
“To come out on top ... it was really a special moment,” Jasper said.
Isabel Gonzalez is a sports writer for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @cisabelg.
