UNLV roundup: Men’s tennis team opens home meet with flourish

Top-seeded Alex Kobelt and Jordan Sauer advanced to the Flight One semifinals Friday, highlighting UNLV’s 12-2 mark in singles on the opening day of the three-day Easley Memorial Classic men’s tennis tournament at Fertitta Tennis Complex.

Sauer’s two wins included a 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 upset of fourth-seeded Connor Rapp of UCLA. The Rebels split their two doubles matches in an event that also includes players from Cal Poly, Gonzaga, Loyola Marymount, San Diego State and Southern Methodist.

Kobelt, ranked 113th nationally, had a first-round bye and then won 6-3, 6-2 over Loyola Marymount’s Diego Nava. Sauer’s other win was a 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 verdict over Gonzaga’s Matthew Hollingworth.

Also for UNLV, Clayton Alenik, Milos Dabic and Anton Ornberg each won twice to reach the Flight Two singles semifinals, and Zach Garner and Jackson Atherton remained afloat in Flight Three.

WOMEN’S SOCCER

At Johann Memorial Field, Michaela Morris scored in the fourth minute and Malika Markham in the 69th to lead the Rebels past UNR 2-0 in a Mountain West match.

Marcella Brooks had four saves and an assist for UNLV (5-13-1, 2-8-1), which halted a three-match losing streak.

Kendal Stovall had 12 saves for the Wolf Pack (4-14, 3-8), who were outshot 23-9. The Rebels had a 14-4 edge in shots on goal.

Morris put three of her match-high six shots on goal, including a penalty kick conversion 3:11 into the match. Jozee De Cunzo and Katie Ballou also each put three shots on goal for UNLV.

CROSS COUNTRY

At Logan, Utah, senior Agnes Mansaray placed 65th out of 88 runners to lead the Rebels to a ninth-place finish in the 11-team Mountain West Championships. New Mexico won its 12th straight title.

Lobos junior Weini Kelati won the individual title for the second straight year, running a league-best 19 minutes, 11.2 seconds in the 6-kilometer race.

Seniors Ednah Kurgat (20:00.2) and Hannah Nuttall (20:14.4) placed second and fifth for New Mexico, and Air Force juniors Maria Mettler (20:13.1) and Mahala Norris (20:13.3) were third and fourth.

All five of New Mexico’s scoring runners placed 13th or better, with the Lobos totaling a team score of 31 points and a time of 1:40:39. Air Force (54, 1:42:44) was second and Boise State (63, 1:43:20) third.

Next were Colorado State (114, 1:45:18), Utah State (134, 1:46:12), Wyoming (170, 1:47:41), San Jose State (194, 1:49:23), UNR (244, 1:51:43), UNLV (293, 1:55:09), San Diego State (299, 1:55:36) and Fresno State (326, 1:57:21).

Mansaray finished in 22:46.3, followed closely by juniors Avi’Tal Wilson-Perteete (66th, 2:48.6) and Emma Wahlenmaier (67th, 22:50.7) for UNLV.

Also for the Rebels, junior Elisa Rovere was 70th in 22:59.9 and freshman Mackenzie Moss 81st in 23:43.2.

SWIMMING AND DIVING

At Salt Lake City, freshman Panos Bolanos won the 100-yard backstroke and the 200 backstroke in the Rebels’ 186-108 loss to Utah. UNLV’s women fell to the Utes 189-111.

Bolanos won the 100 backstroke in 50.26 seconds and the 200 backstroke in 1:51.06. Other wins for the UNLV men came from freshman Ogi Maric (200 freestyle, 1:41.65) and sophomore Hayden Cornellison (200 individual medley, 1:54.49).

The women got wins from three sophomores: Montse Moreno (3-meter diving, 304.43), Julia Filippova (200 freestyle, 1:53.18) and Carissa Armijo (500 freestyle, 5:01.24). Filippova also teamed with juniors Kennedy Hood, Caitlyn Schreiber and Eva Kim to win the 200 freestyle relay in 1:35.27.