ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Colorado State University Pueblo women's tennis opened its 2025 spring schedule here Saturday by dropping back-to-back matches to NCAA Division I foe University of New Mexico and Western New Mexico at the Linda Estes Tennis Stadium on the UNM campus.
 
The ThunderWolves started Saturday's action with a 7-0 setback to the Lobos, before falling 5-2 to Western New Mexico.
 
With the two setbacks, the Pack falls to 0-5 overall on the season.
 
NEW MEXICO 7, CSU PUEBLO 0
The Lobos (2-2) opened the match by sweeping all three doubles matches as the Pack were only able to win two games over the three doubles matches to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
 
In doubles, UNM won by identical 6-0 scores at No. 2 and No. 3 positions, but the Pack's No. 1 team of senior Marta Garcia (Alcala de Hernares, Spain/Cardinal Stitch) and senior Valentina Brienza (Rionero in Vulture, Italy/University of District Columbia) lost 6-2 to UNM's No. 1 tandem of Sarah O'Connor and Marie Sodre.
 
Following doubles, the teams played singles and in singles play, the Pack was able to win 11 games over the six singles matches, but UNM would win all the matches in straight sets to seal its victory.
 
UNM took a 2-0 lead in the match with a 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 5 singles by Sofia Taborga over sophomore Yelena Travica (Winnipeg, Manitoba/Maples Collegiate).
 
The Lobos picked up its third win at No. 1 singles as Maud Vandeputte picked up a 6-0, 6-1 win over Aebischer and then went up 4-0 in the match with a 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 4 singles by Coumba  Ben Mamadou over senior Malaya Pendon (Pueblo, Colo./Pueblo East).
 
UNM would then pick up a 6-0, 6-2 win at No. 3 singles by Maria Matsoukatidi over Garcia, while freshman MaKayla Martinez (Pueblo, Colo./Pueblo County) fell 6-0, 6-3 at No. 6 singles to Allison Romero and UNM completed the sweep with a 6-1, 6-2 win at No. 2 singles by Sodre over Brienza.
 
WESTERN NEW MEXICO 5, CSU PUEBLO 1
In the second match of the day, the Pack and Mustangs played a competitive match as the Pack was able to pick up two wins in singles and won a total of 61 games. WNMU won 90 games in the nearly three hour match.
 
The teams began with doubles as WNMU (1-1) would win all three doubles matches to take a 1-0 lead in the match. Despite being swept in doubles, the Pack was able to win eight total games with four wins coming at No. 1 doubles as Aebischer and Brienza fell 6-4 to Gabriella Blumberg and Caini Wang and three more wins coming at No. 2 doubles as Garcia and Travica fell 6-3 to Emma Lootens-Stael and Ana Montero Villegas. At No. 3 doubles, Martinez/Pendon fell 6-1 to Jenna Kastell and Manon Baudet.
 
With WNMU holding a 1-0 lead after doubles, the teams turned their attention to singles as the Mustangs picked up wins in singles at No. 1, No. 2, No. 5 and No. 6 to seal the match victory. At No. 2 singles, Brienza battled through two sets with Wang as she fell 8-6 in the first set and then suffered a 6-4 loss in the second set.
 
The Pack's first win of the match came at No. 4 singles at Travica won in straight sets (6-4, 6-0) over Lootens-Stael, while the other win came at No. 3 singles as Garcia collected a win in a third-set tiebreaker over Blumberg. Garcia opened with a 7-5 win in the first set, before Blumberg won 7-5 in the second set to set up a tiebreaker. In the tiebreaker, Garcia held off Blumberg, 10-6, to secure the win.
 
The Pack will continue its 2025 spring season with a three-match road trip in Kansas in late February. The Pack begins the trip with a 4 p.m. MT match on Wednesday, Feb. 26 at Bethel College in North Newton, Kan., before traveling to Sterling, Kan., for a 4 p.m. MT match on Thursday, Feb. 27 at Sterling College and concluding the trip with a 10 a.m. MT match on Friday, Feb. 28 in McPherson, Kan., against McPherson College.
 
New Mexico 7, CSU Pueblo 0
Singles Competiton
No. 1 – Maud Vandeputte (UNM) def. Margot Aebischer (CSUP), 6-0, 6-1
No. 2 – Maria Sodre (UNM) def. Valentina Brienza (CSUP), 6-1, 6-2
No. 3 – Maria Matsoukatidi (UNM) def. Marta Garcia (CSUP), 6-0, 6-2
No. 4 – Coumba Ben Mamadou (UNM) def. Malaya Pendon (CSUP), 6-1, 6-1
No. 5 – Sofia Taborga (UNM) def. Yelena Travica (CSUP), 6-0, 6-0
No. 6 – Allison Romero (UNM) def. MaKayla Martinez (CSUP), 6-0, 6-3
 
Doubles Competition
No. 1 – Sarah O'Connor/Sodre (UNM) def. Brienza/Garcia (CSUP), 6-2
No. 2 – Taborga/Vandeputte (UNM) def. Aebischer/Travica (CSUP), 6-0
No. 3 – Matsoukatidi/Ben Mamadou (UNM) def. Martinez/Pendon (CSUP), 6-0
 
Order of Finish:
Singles – 5, 1, 4, 3, 6, 2
Doubles – 2, 3, 1
T: 1:36       Att.: 49
 
Western New Mexico 5, CSU Pueblo 2
Singles Competition
No. 1 – Andreea Arnautu (WMNU) def. Aebischer (CSUP), 6-1, 6-1
No. 2 – Caini Wang (WNMU) def. Brienza (CSUP), 8-6, 6-4
No. 3 – Garcia (CSUP) def. Gabriella Blumberg (WNMU), 7-5, 5-7, 10-6
No. 4 – Travica (CSUP) def. Emma Lootens-Stael (WNMU), 6-4, 6-0
No. 5 – Jenna Kastell (WNMU) def. Pendon (CSUP), 6-3, 6-3
No. 6 – Manon Baudet (WNMU) def. Martinez (CSUP), 6-2, 6-0
 
Doubles Competition
No. 1 – Blumberg/Wang (WNMU) def. Aebischer/Brienza (CSUP), 6-4
No. 2 – Lootens-Stael/Ana Montero Villegas (WNMU) def. Garcia/Trevica (CSUP), 6-3
No. 3 – Kastell/Baudet (WNMU) def. Martinez/Pendon (CSUP), 6-1
 
Order of Finish:
Singles – 6, 1, 5, 4, 3, 2
Doubles – 3, 2, 1
T: 2:50