Final Stats

BOISE, Idaho - New Mexico women's tennis took a pair of third-set matches to close out a 5-2 win against Boise State in a tightly-contested conference match at the Appleton Tennis Center in Boise, Idaho. The Broncos (8-9) dropped the doubles point, but put themselves in position to upset the No. 48 Lobos (10-6) before dropping the final two singles matches.

"Sometimes when you're playing a good team and you lose the doubles point you can kind of put your hands up," said head coach Beck Roghaar. "We didn't do that. We fought right back and that was great to see."

Trailing 1-0 headed into singles, Boise State got on the board quickly. Arianna Paules Aldrey rattled off a 6-1, 6-0 win at No. 4 singles against Sharon Coone to even the team score. Paules Aldrey was one of three Broncos to win in the first set of singles.

"Ari's match was absolutely awesome," Roghaar said. "It's not easy to beat any college tennis player 6-1, 6-0 and her opponent isn't just any player. (Coone) made it to the quarterfinals of the regional championship this fall. That's a huge step forward for Ari and an awesome example of what she's capable of."

Megan LaLone (court three) and Naomi de Hart (court six) were knocked off in straight sets as New Mexico pushed its lead to 3-1, but the Broncos were not done. The remaining three matches went to a decisive third set, including court five where Nancy Menjivar rallied to force the extra set.

Bobbi Oshiro stepped up to the challenge of playing at No. 1 singles with an emotional 7-5 win in the third set to breathe more life into the Broncos' comeback.

The Lobos were up to the challenge. On court two, Teal Vosburgh was serving with the third set tied 3-3, but Emily Olivier broke Vosburgh and went on to win the set 6-3 and clinch the match for the Lobos.

"New Mexico's tough," said Roghaar. "We knew it was going to be tight. Losing 5-2 could have easily gone our way 4-3. Emily Olivier at two is tough. For them to clinch with her win is big for them. She looked like she was on a mission and we need to match that tempo and that intensity."

Oshiro has now won four of her last five matches since moving into the top two in the Bronco lineup, including a 2-0 mark at the top spot. Paules Aldrey has won five of her last six, all in straight sets.

"I know a lot of coaches say they're proud of their team; but I mean it, I'm proud of this team," said Roghaar. "This is two matches in a row where we've competed how we need to compete to be as good as we can be. If we can learn to live in the place we've been the last two times out then we can win some big matches."

Boise State returns to action Sunday, against Air Force. First serve is set for 10 a.m. at the Appleton Tennis Center, weather permitting.

Match Results
No. 48 New Mexico 5 Boise State 2
Boise, Idaho | Appleton Tennis Center

Doubles Results
1. Olivier/Dulski (UNM) def. de Hart/LaLone (Boise State) 6-3
2. Bhat/LeBlanc (UNM) def. Paules Aldrey/Oshiro (Boise State) 6-0
3. Menjivar/Vosburgh (Boise State) def. Coone/Burguiere (UNM) 6-2
Order of Finish: 2, 3, 1

Singles Results
1. Bobbi Oshiro (Boise State) def. Andrea LeBlanc (UNM) 6-2, 6-7 (5), 7-5
2. Emily Olivier (UNM) def. Teal Vosburgh (Boise State) 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
3. Ludivine Burguiere (UNM) def. Megan LaLone (Boise State) 6-4. 6-1
4. Arianna Paules Aldrey (Boise State) def. Sharon Coone (UNM) 6-1, 6-0
5. Rachana Bhat (UNM) def. Nancy Menjivar (Boise State) 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
6. Ruth Copas (UNM) def. Naomi de Hart (Boise State) 6-3, 6-4
Order of Finish: 4, 3, 6, 1, 2, 5