SILVER CITY, N.M. – The Western New Mexico University men's tennis team rolled to a 9-0 victory over RMAC opponent CSU-Pueblo Friday afternoon. The women made it a clean sweep following with a 7-2 victory over the Thunderwolves.


In men's action, No. 42 WNMU (7-8, 1-0 RMAC) opened conference play strong defeating the Thunderwolves (2-8, 1-2 RMAC) for the second time this season. The Mustangs entered ranked third in the region, to sixth for CSU-Pueblo and WNMU started strong in doubles play, with No. 3 doubles finishing first behind Omar Lopez (Naucalpan, Mexico/)/Roy Ulibarri (Dexter, NM/Dexter High School) winning 8-3. No. 1 then concluded with Johan Weich (Landskrona, Sweden/Filbornaskolan High School)/Juan Pablo Fuentes (Guadalajara, Mexico/) also winning 8-3. In the final doubles match, Rodrigo Almeida (Arapongas, Brazil/Nene Lourenco High School)/Jean Benoit Belin (Nimes, France/Emmanuel d'Alzon High School) won in a tight match at the second flight, 8-6.


In singles action, it was much of the same for WNMU, as the Mustangs didn't drop a set. At the top flight, Almeida improved his record to 13-2 this season with a 6-2, 6-3 victory. Fuentes pretty much did the same at No. 2 cruising to a 6-2, 6-4 win. Weich battled at No. 3, winning both of his sets in tiebreakers, 7-6, 7-6. Mattheiu Covizzi dominated at No. 4, 6-2, 6-3. Belin, one of two seniors on senior day along with Weich kept his day perfect with a 6-3, 6-3 win at No. 5. In the final match, Ulibarri rolled to a 6-3 first set win before battling into a tiebreaker to take the second set, 7-6, at No. 6.


On the women's side, WNMU (4-9, 1-0 RMAC) opened conference play with authority, dropping just one match in doubles and one in singles action.

In doubles, Ganna Tiurina (Kiev, Ukraine/M.M. Gromov #227)/Nikolina Vukadin (Pale, Bosnia and Herzegovina/Sredwjoskolski Centar Pale) steamrolled at the top flight to an 8-0 win. At No. 2, Ashley Newell (Las Vegas, NV/Silverado)/Doris Berberic (Lower Hutt, New Zealand/Hutt Valley High School) dropped just two games on their way to an 8-2 victory. CSU-Pueblo (1-4, 1-2 RMAC) pulled out the No. 3 match, 8-6, against Davida Aragon (Arenas Valley, NM/Cobre High School)/Dena Irvin (Farmington, NM/Farmington High School).


In singles, the top five won their matches in straight sets. Tiurina started it off strong, as she shut down her opponent at No. 1, 6-0, 6-0. The same could almost be said for Vukadin at No. 2, as with it being senior day for her, the only senior on the women's team, she rolled to a 6-0, 6-2 victory. Newell battled through a tough first set to win, 7-6, before winning the last set 6-4 at No. 3. Berberic and Aragon had almost identical results, with Berberic winning, 6-2, 6-2 at No. 4 and Aragon with a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 5. Erica Rasmussen (/) battled at No. 6, taking the first set 6-4, but then she lost a tough second set, 7-6, before falling in the super tiebreaker, 10-5.


The Mustangs will now have a week off before continuing conference action on Thursday, April 12 against Montana-State Billings in Denver, Colo.