AZUSA/COSTA MESA/SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The Western New Mexico University tennis teams traveled to the west coast for spring break playing in California against several ranked teams throughout the week.


On the men's side, the Mustangs (5-6) gave No. 11 Azusa Pacific a real fight after falling to the same team 9-0 just a few weeks before in Phoenix to losing by just a point, 5-4. WNMU opened in doubles play and took a 2-1 lead with victories behind senior Rodrigo Almeida (Arapongas, Brazil/Nene Lourenco High School) and junior Juan Pablo Fuentes (Guadalajara, Mexico/) at the top flight and senior Francisco Damasio (Jundiai, Brazil/Centro Educational Sigma ) and junior Alvaro Nunez (Madrid, Spain/) playing at the No. 2 slot won by scores of 9-7. Junior Omar Lopez (Naucalpan, Mexico/) and freshman Sascha Brechtel (Neustadt an der Weinstraße, Germany/Kurpfalz Gymnasium Mannheim ) fell at No. 3, 2-8.


In singles, Fuentes at No. 3 looked to be in position for an easy straight set win after taking the first set, 6-3, but then had to battle to win in a tiebreaking second set, 7-6 (7-5) to claim the victory. Brechtel gave the Mustangs their fourth point behind a strong fight as he opened with a 6-4 first set win and after dropping the second set in a tiebreaker, came back to win the third, 10-7. Azusa Pacific, though, controlled the other four singles matches taking them in straight sets. Almeida and Nunez each won two games in their matches as Almeida fell at No. 1, 0-6, 2-6 and Nunez at No. 2, 1-6, 1-6. Freshman Jean-Laurent Pageault (Perrigny, France/Academi des Hauts de Nimes) won six games in his match at No. 4 before falling, 2-6, 4-6 and Damasio at No. 5 grabbed five games before a 1-6, 4-6 setback.


WNMU would take a turn out of playing Division II teams when they faced NAIA Vanguard, ranked third. The Lions came away with a 9-0 victory on Tuesday. In doubles action, several of the Mustangs' pairs came close as Lopez and Fuentes at the top flight fell by a tight score of 6-8. Brechtel and Pageault at No. 3 claimed five games before a 5-8 setback. At No. 2, Nunez and Damasio fell, 3-8.


In singles, Pageault at No. 4 and Damasio at No. 6 both took their matches the limit before falling in the third set. Damasio opened with a 6-1 win and then after a 0-6 second set went into a tiebreaker before falling in the decisive set, 6-7. Pageault rallied from a 6-7 loss in the opening set to claim the second, 6-4 and then dropped the super tiebreaker third, 4-10. Almeida grabbed seven games at the top flight before a 4-6, 3-6 loss. Brechtel won six games at No. 5, 3-6, 3-6, while Nunez won five games at No. 2, 2-6, 3-6 and Fuentes at No. 3, 1-6, 2-6.


Against No. 12 UC-San Diego, Brechtel posted a singles victory before the Tritons took the 8-1 victory on Wednesday. In doubles, Damasio and Nunez came the closest at No. 2 falling by a score of 5-8. Almeida and Fuentes at the top flight were just one point off the score as they dropped a 4-8 decision. At No. 3, Brechtel and Pageault grabbed three games before a 3-8 setback.


In singles, Damasio dominated at No. 5 rolling to a 6-4 first set win and then won a tiebreaking second set, 7-6. Fuentes at No. 3 came the closest to winning a set in the other five matches winning four games in the second set before falling in straight sets, 3-6, 4-6. Almeida at No. 1, Brechtel at No. 4 and Damasio at No. 6 all fell by the same scores of 3-6, 2-6. Nunez at No. 2 fell in a close first set, 3-6, before falling in straight sets, 0-6.


On the women's side, the Lady Mustangs (0-13) opened against No. 16 Azusa Pacific and claimed a doubles victory before falling to an 8-1 decision. In doubles, juniors Ganna Tiruina and Marie Monier (Saint Etienne, France/St Paul Forez Montbrison) bested the No. 20 ranked doubles combo with a 9-7 victory. Senior Dena Irvin (Farmington, NM/Farmington High School) and sophomore Diamond Morrill (Carlsbad, NM/Carlsbad) grabbed two games before a 2-8 setback and at No. 3, sophomore Claudia Osuna (Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico/Tec Milenio ) and freshman Marissa Aguirre (Douglas, AZ/Douglas) ire, 0-8.


In singles, Tiurina put up a strong fight at the top flight against the 25th ranked player in the nation, as she came up just short in the opening set, 5-7 and then lost the second set, 2-6. Osuna at No. 3 and Morrill at No. 4 each claimed four games before falling in straight sets as Osuna lost 3-6, 1-6 and Morrill by scores of 2-6 each set. Monier at No. 2 and Aguirre at No. 6 each won a game before falling by scores of 0-6, 1-6, while Irvin dropped her match at No. 5, 0-6, 0-6.


On Tuesday the Lady Mustangs battled the No. 9 ranked team in NAIA in Vanguard and claimed a singles match before an 8-1 loss. In doubles, each pair fell by scores of 2-8 with Tiurina and Monier at No. 1, Morrill and Osuna at No. 2 and Aguirre and Irvin at No. 3.


In singles, Osuna recorded the point for WNMU in three sets as she opened with a 6-3 win and after a 2-6 loss in the middle set, she came back with an 11-9 win at No. 3. Morrill posted five games at No. 4 3-6, 2-6. Tiurina was able to pick-up three games at No. 1, 1-6, 2-6. Irvin fell at No. 5, 1-6, 1-6, Monier at No. 2, 0-6, 1-6 and Aguirre at No. 6, 0-6, 0-6.


It wouldn't get an easier against No. 17 UC-San Diego as the Lady Mustangs fell by the score of 9-0 on Wednesday. In doubles, Morrill and Irvin at No. 2 came the closest before a 3-8 setback. Tiurina and Monier at No. 1 and Osuna and Aguirre at No. 3 lost by the same score of 2-8.


In singles, Monier at No. 2 grabbed the most games of four before a 3-6, 1-6 loss. Irvin at No. 5 and Aguirre at No. 6 each won three games in their second sets, but fell by the same scores of 0-6, 3-6. Morrill at No. 4 won a game in each set before a 2-6, 1-6 setback. Tiurina at the No. 1 spot against the No. 32 ranked player fell by scores of 1-6, 1-6.


WNMU will conclude the week against Fresno Pacific with both teams in action, while the men will battle Sonoma State to conclude the trip.