DENVER, Colo. – The Western New Mexico University tennis teams made it a clean sweep Friday with each team claiming wins over MSU-Billings and Metro State in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action. 

In the first matchup of the day, WNMU swept both meetings with the men cruising to a 9-0 win, while the women won a tough 5-4 match over MSU-Billings.

On the men's side, the Mustangs (10-8, 4-0 RMAC) started strong in doubles with only one match being tested against the Yellow Jackets (2-7, 0-3 RMAC) as senior Francisco Damasio (Jundiai, Brazil/Centro Educational Sigma )/junior Alvaro Nunez (Madrid, Spain/) pulled out a 9-7 decision at No. 2. The other two doubles went much easier with senior Rodrigo Almeida (Arapongas, Brazil/Nene Lourenco High School)/freshman Jean-Laurent Pageault (Perrigny, France/Academi des Hauts de Nimes) rolling to an 8-2 win at No. 1 and junior Omar Lopez (Naucalpan, Mexico/)/freshman Sascha Brechtel (Neustadt an der Weinstraße, Germany/Kurpfalz Gymnasium Mannheim ) collected a 8-3 win at No. 3.

In singles, five of the matches were won in straight sets. Pageault at No. 2 had the most success dropping just a game, 6-0, 6-1. Almeida at the top flight allowed just a game in each set, 6-1, 6-1. Damasio also gave up just two games at No. 5, 6-0, 6-2. Nunez at No. 4 (6-4, 6-3) and Lopez at No. 6 (6-2, 6-3) recorded the other two victories in straight sets. Brechtel at No. 3 fought back from a 3-6 first set loss to win a second set tiebreaker, 7-6, and then claim the third set, 10-6.

On the women's side, the Lady Mustangs (3-18, 3-1 RMAC) battled to pull out a hard-fought 5-4 victory. WNMU took a 2-1 lead after doubles against the Yellow Jackets (2-6, 2-1 RMAC) with senior Marie Monier (Saint Etienne, France/St Paul Forez Montbrison)/junior Ganna Tiurina (Kiev, Ukraine/M.M. Gromov #227) winning at the top flight, 8-5, and sophomore Claudia Osuna (Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico/Tec Milenio )/freshman Marissa Aguirre (Douglas, AZ/Douglas) at No. 3 claimed a 8-3 triumph. At the No. 2 slot, senior Dena Irvin (Farmington, NM/Farmington High School)/sophomore Diamond Morrill (Carlsbad, NM/Carlsbad) fell, 3-8.

In singles, Tiurina at the top flight and Aguirre at No. 6 each won in straight sets dropping just three games. Tiruina won by scores of 6-1, 6-2, while Aguirre won by the same scores, but in opposite sets, 6-2, 6-1. Osuna claimed the fifth point for WNMU at No. 3 with a 7-6, 6-1 win. MSU-Billings posted wins at No. 4 against Morrill, 4-6, 3-6 and at No. 5 against Irvin, 4-6, 3-6. Monier had to default her match at No. 2 which left the score at 5-4.

In the second match of the day, the Mustangs made it another pair of wins taking out Metro State, 9-0, on the women's side and 5-4 on the men's.

The Lady Mustangs dominated the Roadrunners (4-16 0-4 RMAC) as Tiurina/Monier started off with an 8-1 victory at the top flight. Osuna/Aguirre did one better at No. 3 claiming an 8-0 win. Morrill/Irvin made it 3-0 for WNMU with an 8-4 win at No. 2.

In singles, four were won in straight sets. Monier at No. 2, Irvin at No. 5 and Aguirre at No. 6 all won by scores of 6-1, 6-0. Osuna at No. 3 posted a 6-2, 6-2 win. Tiurina at the top slot and Morrill at No. 4 had to work three to pull out the victory. Tiurina opened her match with a 6-1 first set win and after a loss in a tiebreaking second, 6-7 (1-7), she rallied for a 10-8 third set win. Morrill did the same thing, she won the first, 6-3, and then lost the second in a tiebreaker, 6-7 (2-7), before eventually winning 10-5 in the third.

On the men's side, the Mustangs fought through a stiff test from Metro State (11-9, 3-1 RMAC). Doubles were close across the board as WNMU claimed the No. 1 and No. 3 spots. At the top flight, Almeida/Pageault pulled out an 8-6 win, while Brechtel/Lopez grabbed an 8-5 win at No. 3. At No. 2, Nunez/Damasio went to a tiebreaker before falling, 8-9 (4-7).

In singles, Nunez had no troubles at No. 4 with a 6-1, 6-0 convincing win. Almeida battled a tough test from Graetz for a 6-3, 6-4 win at the top flight. The other Mustang point came at No. 5 courtesy of Damasio. He dropped the first set, 4-6, but then came back strong with a 7-6 (7-0) tiebreaker win and a cruising 6-1 win in the third. Metro claimed points at No. 2 against Pageault, 2-6, 1-6, Brechtel at No. 3, 4-6, 6-4, 5-7 and at No. 6 against Lopez, 1-6, 0-6.

WNMU will wrap up their weekend trip in Pueblo on Saturday against CSU-Pueblo at 9 a.m.