Tulane University
New Mexico
Tulane Knocks Off No. 41 New Mexico, 4-2
Mar 21, 2015 | Women's Tennis
DALLAS - The Tulane women's tennis team (13-5) started its road trip on a high note, knocking off No. 41 New Mexico (10-7), 4-2, on Saturday afternoon on a neutral court in Dallas. The win marked the Wave's second victory over a ranked foe this year, previously upsetting No. 61 Yale back on Feb. 21.
"So incredibly proud of the team today," Tulane head coach Terri Sisk said. "I honestly have not seen us play such solid, high intensity doubles as I did today, and the result of coming out strong allowed us to beat the No. 41 team in the country. From there, they took that energy and fight into singles and never looked back."
The Green Wave dictated the match from the early goings, recording a very efficient doubles showing starting with a 6-1 win on court three from Ipek Birol and Jacqui Katz, defeating Susan Baklini and Sharon Coone.
Naz Karagoz and Sade Atkinson then clinched the 1-0 early advantage with a 6-3 win vs. Emily Olivier and Natasha Smith on court one. Thus, Karagoz and Atkinson continue to roll in the No. 1 doubles position, winning their fifth straight match to move to 7-4 on the season.
Tulane's momentum then spilled over into singles play, when Katz recorded the most impressive outing on the day, cruising to a 6-1, 6-1 win vs. Rachana Bhat on court five. Freshman Vanessa Nommensen then followed suit to give Tulane a 3-0 lead with a swift 6-2, 6-2 win over Dominique Dulski. Both Katz and Nommensen earned their team leading 11th wins today.
The Lobos then rallied by besting the top of the Green Wave's lineup. New Mexico's Natasha Smith topped Birol 6-4, 6-2 on court one, then cut the deficit to one when Emily Olivier defeated Stracar 6-4, 6-4.
Meredith Maltby then played the role of clincher, earning a hard fought 7-6(4), 6-3 win over Coone. As a result, Maltby moved to 6-3 on the year.
"We have talked so long about the team we want to be and the steps we have to take and today they took a huge step into the right direction, for this year, and the future of our program," Sisk stated. "Today was another example of the total team effort."
Up next, Tulane resumes conference play when they take on No. 74 SMU on Sunday at 11 a.m. CT.
Green Wave Results
Doubles - Order of finish: 3, 1
No. 1 - Naz Karagoz/Sade Atkinson (TU) def. Emily Olivier/Natasha Smith (UNM) 6-3
No. 2 - Dominique Dulski/Meredith Hopson (UNM) vs. Nicky Stracar/Vanessa Nommensen (TU) 4-5, uf
No. 3 - Ipek Birol/Jacqui Katz (TU) def. Susan Baklini/Sharon Coone (UNM) 6-1
Singles - Order of finish: 5, 4, 1, 2, 6
No. 1 - Natasha Smith (UNM) def. Ipek Birol (TU) 6-4, 6-2
No. 2 - Emily Olivier (UNM) def. Nicky Stracar (TU) 6-4, 6-4
No. 3 - Meredith Hopson (UNM) vs. Naz Karagoz (TU) 5-7, 6-4, 2-2, unfinished
No. 4 - Vanessa Nommensen (TU) def. Dominique Dulski (UNM) 6-2, 6-2
No. 5 - Jacqui Katz (TU) def. Rachana Bhat (UNM) 6-1, 6-1
No. 6 - Meredith Maltby (TU) def. Sharon Coone (UNM) 7-6 (7-4), 6-3
Players Mentioned
