By Zoë Woodward – Spear Reporter | Freshman Camila Celis serving against University of New Mexico. (Photo by Zoë Woodward – Spear Photographer)
In a close matchup decided by the result of the final singles game, San Jose State tennis (7-7, 0-4 MW) lost 4-3 to University of New Mexico (11-6, 2-2 MW).
Despite the Lobos winning the doubles point, the Spartans were able to put up a fight in the singles to still have a chance.
Freshman Camila Celis and sophomore Emma Fantousis took their respective singles games to 6-6 in the third set.
Fantousis went on to win her match by winning the seventh game of the third set 7-3,cutting the deficit to 3-2.
With two singles games still in play, all the Spartans needed to do was win one to secure the match.
Fighting all the way to the end, Celis was unfortunate to come out short, losing the seventh game of the third set 9-7.
With scores now level at 3-3, it was in the hands of sophomore Cristina Mateos Losada to help her team find the victory.
She would also take her match to a third set after losing the first 6-3 but winning the second 6-3.
From 5-2 down in the third set she was able to tighten sophomore Lea Malazdra’s lead to just one game at 5-4.
In the final game of the day Malazdra would get the job done and give the Lobos the victory.
“We had some opportunities and we just didn’t take advantage of it and at this league, at this level it came back to bit us at the end,”SJSU head coach Chad Skorupka said. “It would have been nice to finish it there but that’s how it goes competing wise. We’ll win some tight ones and we’ll lose some tight ones.”
Even though the Spartans lost this matchup and are still yet to find a conference win, fantastic tennis performances were on display all afternoon.
An impressive resilient battle came from sophomore Soledad Fayos Capilla who won her match 7-5, 7-5.
In both sets she would be 5-2 down but she continued to keep her composure and grind out a victory.
“Just got to keep working hard and trying to get some people playing more consistent on the big points because we are going to be in this situation again and at some point hopefully we will click,” Skorupka said.
With the start time yet to be announced, the Spartans now head on the road on Friday to take on Colorado State.
