Lady Rebels tennis strong from top to bottom at Mountain West Championships

Kevin Cory didn't know what to expect when he met individually with his three seniors late last fall to tell them they wouldn't receive one of UNLV's coveted top three seeds.

All Cory, the women's tennis coach, could really go on was the memory of similar conversations in prior years.

Some players handled such news well. Some didn't, becoming season-long distractions that forced Cory to spend as much time trying to quell intrasquad sniping as he did on improving players' serves and backhands.

He knew he could face such a scenario this season. Seniors Adrienn Hidvegi, Jana Albers and Anna Maskaljun arguably earned the right to play as top seeds, but Cory knew those spots belonged to UNLV's younger, more talented players.

When he told those seniors they would play the fourth through six seeds -- the three bottom places -- they turned disappointment into determination. They helped carry the Lady Rebels down an unlikely path to a No. 38 national ranking, 8-0 Mountain West Conference record and 19-4 overall mark.

"This is probably as deep as we've ever gone," Cory said. "I've been here 12 years. We've had teams (2002, '03) as high as 15th in the country, and I think this team is every bit as good as that team, and probably at the bottom is stronger.

"Our four, five and six would be in the top three in most teams in our league."

UNLV, the top-seeded team in the Mountain West, opens the conference championship at 1 p.m. PDT Thursday at Fort Collins, Colo., against the winner of today's match between No. 8 New Mexico and No. 9 Colorado State.

Hidvegi, Albers and Maskaljun combined to go 22-2 against conference opponents this season. It was Albers' victory out of the No. 5 seed, in which she rallied from a 5-2 deficit in the third set, that pushed the Lady Rebels past San Diego State 4-3 on April 17.

"I don't really mind where I play," Albers said. "Every point is a point, so I'm just trying to help the team as much as I can. It's the coach's decision where to play me, so I just want to get the win."

The victory over the Aztecs gave UNLV its perfect conference record, and the Lady Rebels reached that point despite not having a singles player or doubles team ranked.

That underscores Cory's message that victories out of the No. 6 seed mean just as much as those from the top spot.

UNLV's No. 6, Maskaljun, is 22-1 in dual matches and is working on a school-record-tying 19-match winning streak. She has not lost a set since Feb. 20.

"The girls have told me it gives them confidence when my court is done and we already have one point," Maskaljun said.

Maskaljun and Hidvegi, the No. 4 seed, rank in UNLV's top 10 in career victories. Albers is finishing her second season with the Lady Rebels after transferring from Nebraska.

All three players come from a world away in Europe -- Albers from Germany, Hidvegi from Hungary and Maskaljun from Estonia.

"I remember when I came here I was really upset that I was not playing in the top lineup," Hidvegi said. "But Kevin explained to me it's not really important where you play. The important thing is you have to win wherever you play."

And win they have.

The seniors did so by putting aside egos and placing the team first.

"Our three seniors have really come through this year," Cory said. "You never know with seniors if they want to go out with a bang. Fortunately, these three have committed to doing that."

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65.