COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo - Repeat All-MWC honoree, Sandy Lukowski and freshman Maja Kovacek led the way for UNM at the 2003 MWC womens tennis award banquet, Wednesday, in San Diego. Lukowski and Kovacek were not only honored on the All-MWC singles team, but also earned spots together on the all-conference doubles squad for their joint effort. Sophomore doubles partners Michelle Heidbrink and Tiffany Robertson also got the conferences recognition with placement on the All-MWC doubles team.

Nationally ranked at 113th, Lukowski is 8-7 this spring in singles play and had a notable win this season over No. 25-ranked Jule Smekodub of Tulane, which earned her the title of MWC Player of the Week. Lukowski finished up the regular season with four straight singles wins, three of which were against conference opponents. She defeated No.1-seeded senior Dominique Reynolds of BYU, a feat that had only been accomplished once before by a New Mexico tennis player.

Kovacek currently leads all UNM players this year with 23 singles wins, most of which have been earned at the No. 1 spot. The freshman had a milestone win during the early portion of the spring season over then No. 74-ranked Renate Stoop of Boise State. She finished the regular season with a 5-2 conference record, losing only to ranked players from San Diego State and UNLV. Kovacek enters the MWC Championships on a six-match winning streak.

All-MWC doubles honors are nothing new to Lukowski or sophomore Tiffany Robertson who are both two-time award-winners after garnering the doubles award together last year. This season it was Lukowski and Maja Kovacek who formed a prosperous union, compiling a 7-3 spring record and an important 7-0 conference mark at the top doubles spot. The two also earned a No. 55 national ranking. The team of Robertson and Michelle Heidbrink was equally as successful at the No. 3 doubles position. The pair accomplished an almost perfect record of 12-1 there, dropping only one match to a tough duo from Washington State.

The No. 48 Lobo womens tennis team is in San Diego, Calif. this week competing in the 2003 MWC Championships. No. 2-seeded UNM plays sixth seed Air Force today at 2 p.m. (P.D.T.) at the Barnes Tennis Center on the campus of San Diego State University.

Lobos Women's Tennis

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