by Michael Rowse

The Western New Mexico University women's tennis team competed in the University of New Mexico Fall Invitational this past weekend.

Ganna Tiurina (Kiev, Ukraine) performed well in the singles, as she won a pair of matches. She opened things with a 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 win over New Mexico's Laura Richardson. She then played Adriana Pereira of University of Southern California and again pulled out a three-set winning, dropping the first set, 3-6, before coming back to win 6-3 and 7-5. Lucia Kovarcikova from Utah defeated Tiurina in the finals of the Turquoise bracket with a 6-3, 6-1 win.

Ashley Newell (Las Vegas, NV/Silverado) also played in the same bracket, as she lost to Kovarcikova in the first round, 6-3, 6-2 and then played Nina Grbac in the playback round falling, 6-1, 6-2. Her last match of the day came against Tatum Rochin from Northern Arizona and she lost in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2.

Dena Irvin (Farmington, NM/Farmington High School) battled in the White bracket and played three matches. She opened with Anastasiya Sylenko from UTEP and lost, 6-0, 6-0. She later played Sarah Khan from New Mexico and lost, 6-0, 6-0. She concluded the bracket playing Alice Walker from Northern Arizona and lost, 6-0, 6-0.

Davida Aragon (Arenas Valley, NM/Cobre High School) competed in the Black bracket, opening against Kristin Eggleston, with Eggleston coming away with the 6-0, 6-0 win. She then played Jordan Denesick of Northern Arizona and lost, 6-1, 6-0. She completed the bracket against Michaela Oldani from New Mexico and lost, 6-1, 6-0.

In doubles, in the Silver bracket Aragon/Irvin battled Martin/Wookey from Southern California and lost, 8-0. They later played Leblonde/Sylenko from UTEP and won a couple of games before falling, 8-2.

Tiurina/Newell participated in the other Silver bracket and lost their opening match against Smith/Kovarcikova from Utah, 8-1. They would win their first playback match against Khan/Kuuttila from New Mexico, 3-2, as they retired due to injury. They then played the same doubles team that Aragon/Irvin played in Leblonde/Sylenko of UTEP and at one point held a 6-5 lead before falling, 8-6.

WNMU will return to action in the spring when they will travel back to Albuquerque to play New Mexico on Feb. 3.