Jan. 22, 2011
Final Stats
Match Results In PDF Format 
TUCSON, ARIZ.- Freshman Marie Leblond and senior Ximena Fuentes both registered straight set wins but it wasn't enough as the UTEP tennis team was edged out by Northern Arizona, 4-3, in its season opener Saturday afternoon.
The Miners (0-1) also had a good showing in doubles action, with the respective tandems of Carolina DeLuca/Martina Trierweiler and Fuentes/Gabi Vazquez delivering convincing triumphs to secure the point. The Lumberjacks (1-1) struck back in singles, though, with victories at Nos. 1 through 4 en route to notching the narrow come-from-behind win.
"The team played very well for a first match," UTEP head coach Victor Aguilar said. "I was very happy with senior Ximena Fuentes and freshman Marie Leblond for stepping up in singles. It was nice we took the doubles point but we didn't get it done in singles."
Action commenced with doubles, where the Orange and Blue surged out to a 1-0 edge in the match thanks to victories at No. 1 and No. 2. UTEP's top duo of DeLuca/Trierweiler doubled up Orsi Golovics/Malia Wahinepio, 8-4, to set the tone for the sequence. The Miners then locked up the point thanks to Fuentes/Vazquez downing Aimee Oki/Nicole Perez, 8-5.
The Lumberjacks' pairing of Yumi Hasegawa/Edit Suhajda tripped up Dariya Abdrakhmanova/Alexandra Glebova, 8-4, at No. 3 doubles, but it proved to be a moot point.
Action then switched to singles play, where Fuentes and LeBlond led the way. Fuentes dismantled Oki, 6-2, 6-3, at No. 5. LeBlond was nearly as impressive, dispatching Alice Walker, 6-4, 6-2, at No. 6 singles.
NAU was able to get things going on the other courts, however. Trierweiler ran into a buzz saw in the form of Suhajda at No. 1 singles, falling 6-2, 6-1. DeLuca was saddled with a similar fate at No.2 singles against Golovics, who dispatched her 6-0, 6-2.
Vazquez was taken down by Hasegawa, 6-0, in the opening set at No. 3 singles. She regrouped and played much better in the second set, but still ultimately fell by a count of 7-5.
The outcome of the match came down to No. 4 singles, which appropriately took three sets to decide. Glebova and Wahinepio went back and forth in the first set before it went the way of the NAU player, 6-4. UTEP's senior kept herself and her team's chances alive with a 6-4 victory in the second stanza only to be held off in the final set, 6-2.
The Miners will cap the opening weekend by challenging No. 49 Arizona at 10 a.m. MT on Sunday.
Singles competition
1. SUHAJDA, Edit (NAU) def. Trierweiler, Martina (UTEP) 6-2, 6-1
2. GOLOVICS, Orsi (NAU) def. DeLuca, Carolina (UTEP) 6-0, 6-2
3. HASEGAWA, Yumi (NAU) def. Vazquez, Gabi (UTEP) 6-0, 7-5
4. WAHINEPIO, Malia (NAU) def. Glebova, Alexandra (UTEP) 6-4, 4-6, 6-2
5. Fuentes, Ximena (UTEP) def. OKI, Aimee (NAU) 6-2, 6-3
6. Leblond, Marie (UTEP) def. WALKER, Alice (NAU) 6-4, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. DeLUCA, Carolina/TRIERWEILER, Martina (UTEP) def. GOLOVICS, Orsi/WAHINEPIO, Malia (NAU) 8-4
2. FUENTES, Ximena/VAZQUEZ, Gabi (UTEP) def. OKI, Aimee/PEREZ, Nicole (NAU) 8-5
3. HASEGAWA, Yumi/SUHAJDA, Edit (NAU) def. ABDRAKHMANOVA, D./GLEBOVA, Alexandra (UTEP) 8-4
