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Air Force Upsets No. 61 New Mexico In Opening Round Of MWC Tournament
Loss ends Lobos' eight-match win streak over AFA dating back to 1989
April 28, 2005
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The sixth-seeded Air Force Falcons could not have picked a better time to end the eight-match losing streak they were in against New Mexico which started in 1989. The Falcons upset the No. 61 and third-seeded Lobos with a 5-2 win in the opening round of the Mountain West Conference Championships to advance to the semifinals where they will face No. 2 seeded BYU and end the Lobos' run for a second straight tournament title. New Mexico started out winning the doubles point. Seniors David Kowalski and Ryan Stotland, ranked No. 14, netted a quick 8-3 over Shannon Buck and Tyler McClung at No. 1. Senior Derek Boland and junior Eric Conklin clinched the point with an 8-5 win at No. 3 over Justin Lau and Robby Alexander. Freshmen Max Jones and Kamil Pajkowski did not get to complete their match against Trevor Johnson and Chris Dong at No. 2 Air Force's Shannon Buck, ranked No. 60, evened the score with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Jones at No. 1. Alexander and Dong then pushed the Falcons to a 3-1 lead with wins at No. 6 and 4, respectively. Alexander edged out Boland 7-5, 6-1 while Dong handed Pajkowski a tough 7-5, 6-3 loss. Stotland kept the Lobos alive, rebounding from a first set loss to beat Tyler McClung at No. 2 4-6, 6-2, 6-2. But Johnson would also rally from a first set loss to down Kowalski 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 at No. 3. Lau recorded the final point with a 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 win over Conklin. The Lobos end the season 9-8 and await the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships selections announced May 4 on ESPNews at 2:30 p.m. Jones is eligible for the singles tournament while Kowalski and Stotland should make the doubles tournament.
AIR FORCE 5, NO. 61 NEW MEXICO 2 Doubles Singles |
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