LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The Western New Mexico University tennis teams traveled to Las Cruces this past weekend where the men played a pair of matches and the women one.


On Saturday, both teams played Texas-Permian Basin with the men coming away with an 8-1 win and the women lost a close 5-4 decision.


The men (5-2) dominated their match, with each doubles team winning by scores of 8-4. In the top flight, senior Rodrigo Almeida (Arapongas, Brazil/Nene Lourenco High School) and junior Juan Pablo Fuentes (Guadalajara, Mexico/), at No. 2 it was junior Alvaro Nunez (Madrid, Spain/) and senior Francisco Damasio (Jundiai, Brazil/Centro Educational Sigma ) and at No. 3 junior Omar Lopez (Naucalpan, Mexico/) and freshman Jean-Laurent Pageault (Perrigny, France/Academi des Hauts de Nimes) all claimed wins.


In singles, Almeida rolled to a 6-2, 6-0 victory. Nunez lost just one game at No. 2 claiming a 6-1, 6-0 win. Fuentes at No. 3 had a pair of consistent set wins of 6-2, 6-2. Pageault at No. 4 (6-2, 6-1) and Damasio at No. 5 (6-3, 6-1) each recorded victories, while freshman Sascha Brechtel (Neustadt an der Weinstraße, Germany/Kurpfalz Gymnasium Mannheim ) came close in his match at No. 6, taking the first set, 6-4, and then after dropping the second, 0-6, he lost a close third, 10-6.


The Lady Mustangs (0-9) came oh so close to coming away with the win, but came up just short. In doubles, junior Ganna Tiurina (Kiev, Ukraine/M.M. Gromov #227) and junior Marie Monier (Saint Etienne, France/St Paul Forez Montbrison) posted an 8-5 win at No. 1. Sophomore Diamond Morrill (Carlsbad, NM/Carlsbad) and senior Dena Irvin (Farmington, NM/Farmington High School) were within a few points of taking their match at No. 2 before a 6-8 setback. At No. 3, sophomore Claudia Osuna (Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico/Tec Milenio ) and freshman Marissa Aguirre (Douglas, AZ/Douglas) had almost the same score, battling back before being edged, 7-9.


In singles, Tiurina grabbed a 6-1, 6-4 win at the top flight, while Osuna at No. 3 and Morrill at No. 4 followed suit claiming straight set wins as Osuna won 6-1, 6-2 and Morrill, 6-3, 7-5. Monier had a back-and-forth opening set at No. 2, falling just short, 5-7, before dropping the second set, 2-6. Irvin fell at No. 5, 1-6, 1-6, while Aguirre won seven games at No. 6 before a 4-6, 3-6, setback.


On Sunday, the Mustangs faced Division I Abilene Christian. Although WNMU lost 0-4, they did claim a doubles victory, but with the scoring being Division I that whoever wins the doubles matches claims one team point, the win didn't show up in the overall score. Almeida and Fuentes came through with an 8-5 win at the top flight. Damasio and Nunez at No. 2 and Pageault and Lopez at No. 3 came close in their respective matches before falling by the same score of 5-8.


In singles, ACU claimed wins at No. 3 through five to clinch the match. Pageault came the closest of the group at No. 4, as he tallied six games before a 4-6, 2-6 defeat. Fuentes won three games in his opening set at No. 3 before a 3-6, 0-6, loss. Damasio won three games in a pair of sets at No. 5 before a 1-6, 2-6, setback. Three other matches went unfinished including Almeida at No. 1 (6-7, 3-5), Nunez at No. 2 (2-6, 4-3) and Brechtel at No. 6 (4-6, 4-3).


WNMU will return to action this weekend when they will host New Mexico Military Institute on Saturday beginning at 2 p.m. at the Mustang Tennis Courts.