Lopes hold early lead but fall late

Monday, March 8

Phoenix, Ariz.

11 a.m.

Grand Canyon

New Mexico

3/8/2021 3:41:00 PM | Women's Tennis

Box Score

GCU takes doubles point but loses on final singles match

By: Jerob Moon

The Grand Canyon women's tennis team lost 4-3 to New Mexico at the GCU Tennis Facility on Monday.

The Lopes (1-7) held the early lead by securing the doubles point but New Mexico (5-2) made a late run in the final two singles matches to steal the victory.

In doubles, GCU took the 1-0 lead with wins at the bottom two courts. Lopes No. 2 duo Emilia Occhipinti and Autum Prudhomme kicked off the dual match with a dominating 6-1 victory for their third win as a doubles pair. New Mexico answered with a 6-3 win at No. 1 over Natasha Puehse and Jana Weiss, but freshman Taylor Andersen and senior Joely Lomas clinched the point for GCU with a 6-4 win at No. 3.

With the 1-0 lead, the Lopes kept the momentum with four first-set wins to start singles play. But New Mexico was able to take the two first-set wins at Nos. 4 and 5 and turn them into straight-set victories for a 2-1 team lead.

The Lopes responded with a 7-6, 6-0 win by Puehse at No. 1 and a 6-1, 7-5, 6-0 marathon win by Occhipinti at No. 2 to put GCU back ahead 3-2.

At No. 3, Weiss won her first set but lost back-to-back sets by a 6-3 margin to tie the match with one decision to go.

That final match was played at No. 6 between GCU's Andersen and New Mexico's Hsiang-Wen Huang. The GCU freshman won the first set 6-4 but Huang responded with a 6-3 win in the second and third sets to complete the Lobos' comeback for a 4-3 dual win.

GCU will be back in action again at home on March 16 against Colorado State at 11 a.m.