DENVER, Colo. – The Western New Mexico University tennis teams cleaned up Friday in Denver, collecting four wins, with the men and women sweeping both Metro State and Colorado Christian in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action.


In the first matchup against Metro State, the men controlled the action taking an 8-1 decision. WNMU (10-8, 4-0 RMAC) cruised through singles play, dropping only one set. Rodrigo Almeida (Arapongas, Brazil/Nene Lourenco High School) remained hot, winning at the top flight in a tight matchup, 6-4, 7-6. Juan Pablo Fuentes (Guadalajara, Mexico/) had no problems at No. 2 rolling up a 6-4, 6-2 win. Johan Weich (Landskrona, Sweden/Filbornaskolan High School) had to battle in his match at No. 3, as after opening with a 6-2 win, he dropped the second set, 5-7, but pulled out the final set, 10-8. Matthieu Covizzi (Noailly, France/) dropped only four games in winning at No. 4, 6-1, 6-3. Jean Benoit Belin (Nimes, France/Emmanuel d'Alzon High School) allowed just three game wins in both sets in his 6-3, 6-3 win at No. 5. Alvaro Nunez (Madrid, Spain/) completed the sweep in singles with a 6-1, 6-2 win. In doubles, Metro State came away with one win at No. 1 in defeating Weich/Fuentes in a close 9-8 match. WNMU came back to control the final two matches, with Almeida/Belin winning 8-3 at No. 2 and Omar Lopez (Naucalpan, Mexico/)/Roy Ulibarri (Dexter, NM/Dexter High School) claiming a 8-4 win at No. 3.


On the women's side, WNMU (7-9, 4-0 RMAC) controlled the earlier matches at singles and won two doubles matches to pull out a tight 5-4 win over the Roadrunners. In singles play, Ganna Tiurina (Kiev, Ukraine/M.M. Gromov #227) cruised again at the top flight to a 6-2, 6-1 victory. At No. 2, Nikolina Vukadin (Pale, Bosnia and Herzegovina/Sredwjoskolski Centar Pale) had the same result only switched on sets, winning 6-1, 6-2. Ashley Newell (Las Vegas, NV/Silverado) continued the hot streak as she won 6-1, 6-4 at No. 3. Metro State came back to win the final three, as Doris Berberic (Lower Hutt, New Zealand/Hutt Valley High School) took her match as far as it would go before falling in three, 3-6, 7-5, 8-10. Davida Aragon (Arenas Valley, NM/Cobre High School) fell at No. 5, 0-6, 3-6 and Erica Rasmussen (/) was defeated at No. 6, 2-6, 1-6. In doubles, WNMU won the top two with Vukadin/Tiurina pulling out the top flight win, 8-4 and Newell/Berberic closing out a close 8-6 win at No. 2. Metro claimed the No. 3 over Dena Irvin (Farmington, NM/Farmington High School)/Aragon, 8-2.


In the men's matches against Colorado Christian, the Mustangs dominated in a 9-0 victory. In singles matches, everyone won in straight sets, with Almeida starting things with a 6-0, 6-2 victory. Fuentes dropped just one game in a 6-1, 6-0 win at No. 2. Belin moved up to No. 3 and rolled to a 6-1, 6-0 victory. Nunez at No. 4 won 6-0, 6-1. Same for Ulibarri at No. 5 with a 6-1, 6-0 win. Lopez battled through a tight first set win, 7-5, to win the second set going away, 6-1. In doubles action, Almeida/Belin won at No. 1, 8-1. Ulibarri/Lopez also won 8-1 at No. 2 and Nunez/Covizzi pulled out a 8-3 win at No. 3.


In the women's matches against Colorado Christian, it was also a shutout, 9-0. In singles, WNMU took every match in straight sets. Tiurina won, 6-2, 6-1 at No. 1, Vukadin won 6-0, 6-4 at No. 2, Newell won 6-2, 6-0 at No. 3, Berberic won 6-1, 6-0 at No. 4, Aragon won 6-2, 6-1 at No. 5 and Rasmussen won 6-0 and 6-0 at No. 6. Doubles went just about the same with Tiurina/Vukadin rolling at No. 1, 8-1, Newell/Berberic claiming a 8-2 win at No. 2 and Irvin/Aragon collecting an 8-0 win at No. 3.


WNMU will conclude their trip with two more matches Saturday, facing Colorado Mesa before a big matchup with Nebraska-Kearney to conclude the day.