LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The Western New Mexico University women's tennis team battled a pair of tough Division I teams this week dropping all three matches, twice to Idaho State by the same score of 6-1 and then a 7-0 setback against Seattle.


In the first match of the week, Division I Idaho State held off WNMU, 6-1, on Saturday. Ganna Tiurina (Kiev, Ukraine/M.M. Gromov #227) remains on a hot streak playing at the top spot as she cruised to a 6-4, 6-3 victory. Claudia Osuna (Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico/Tec Milenio ) was the other Lady Mustang to win a set as she dropped the first set, 6-3, and then came back with a 6-2 win before falling in a tight 10-7 third set at No. 3. Ashley Newell (Las Vegas, NV/Silverado) at No. 2 dropped the first set, 6-0, but then came back and came close to coming away with the second set, 7-5. Marie Monier (Saint Etienne, France/St Paul Forez Montbrison) and Diamond Morrill (Carlsbad, NM/Carlsbad) at No. 4 and No. 5 respectively, fell in straight sets, 6-1, 6-0. In the final singles match, Doris Berberic (Lower Hutt, New Zealand/Hutt Valley High School) won four games at No. 6 before a 6-2, 6-2 setback. In doubles, Tiurina and Newell were on the brink of a big win at No. 1, but fell just short with a 9-7 loss. Monier and Osuna had almost the same outcome at No. 2 pulling out six games before an 8-6 defeat. At No. 3, Morrill and Berberic lost, 8-3.


The Lady Mustangs faced Idaho State once again on Sunday and had the same result of a 6-1 setback. This time in singles play, Monier collected the win for WNMU as she dominated at No. 4 with a 6-3, 6-4 victory. Tiurina, who won her match the day before at the top spot, but fell in a tough three-set battle. She dropped the opening set, 6-4, but came back with a convincing 6-1 win in the second set before a 6-2 loss in the final set. Newell also went three sets in her match, as all of the scores were 7-5, as she won the first set, but then dropped the final two. Osuna, Davida Aragon (Arenas Valley, NM/Cobre High School) and Berberic all lost by the same scores of 6-2, 6-2, at No. 3, No. 5 and No. 6, respectively. In doubles, with it being a Division I scoring where the doubles winners count as just one point, WNMU took the top flight match behind Tiurina and Newell, 8-7. Idaho State came back to take the other two and win the point winning at No. 2, 8-2 over Monier and Osuna and then a 8-3 win over Berberic and Morrill at No. 3.


In the final match of the week, Seattle defeated WNMU, 7-0. In singles, Osuna came close in her match at No. 3, as she dropped the opening set, 6-1, but came back to claim the second, 7-5 and then fell in a super tiebreaker, 10-8. Monier also was close to taking a set as she lost the first in a tiebreaker, 7-6 (3), and dropped the second, 6-1. Tiurina at No. 1 and Newell at No. 2 fell by the same scores of 6-4, 6-3. Morrill was defeated at No. 5, 6-2, 6-0 and Aragon at No. 6, 6-1, 6-1. In doubles, Newell and Tiurina came closest at No. 1, dropping a close 8-6 decision. Morrill and Berberic fell at No. 2, 8-2, while Osuna and Monier dropped their match at No. 3, 8-4.


WNMU is now 5-14 on the season following the three matches this weekend. They will open RMAC action this Friday and Saturday facing Colorado Christian and CSU-Pueblo as they will host both teams at the WNMU Tennis Courts.