Saturday, January 31
Flagstaff, Ariz.
10:00 AM MT
Air Force Academy
vs
New Mexico State
Women’s Tennis to Face NMSU, NAU in Flagstaff
1/29/2026 1:24:00 PM | Women's Tennis
A battle-hardened Air Force Women's tennis team is on the road for its fourth and fifth-consecutive road matches, taking on New Mexico State and Northern Arizona on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, respectively.
The Falcons open the weekend in competition against NMSU on Saturday, followed by taking on the host Lumberjacks the following day. Both matches on Saturday and Sunday are slated for a 10 a.m. MT first serve.
Follow Along:
Live scoring will be provided for both matches via StatBroadcast. Links to scoring for both matches can be found on the women's tennis schedule page at goairforcefalcons.com.
Looking for a Bounce Back:
The Falcons, at 0-3 after opening the season on a Power-Four road tour at SMU (6-1), No. 2 Texas A&M (7-0) and Colorado (4-0), look to score their first wins of the season in Flagstaff over the weekend. As a whole, the field combines for an 0-6 start, with both NMSU and NAU respectively opening at 0-2 (vs. Oregon – L, 4-0; vs. Idaho – L , 4-3) and 0-1 (at Arizona – L, 6-1).
An Historic Turnaround:
The Falcons underwent their largest single-season turnaround in the program's history in 2025, closing the year ranked ninth in the final ITA Mountain Region rankings. In the second season of head coach Taylor Hollander's tenure, Air Force improved from a last-place finish in 2023-24 to going 12-14 and 4-6 against Mountain West opponents. The Falcons ended their season as the seven-seed in the 2025 Mountain West Championship, shutting out New Mexico in the opening round and scoring a 4-1 win over No. 69, two-seeded Nevada – A win representing Air Force's highest-seeded postseason victory since 2017.
A Rising Standard:
In the wake of Air Force's rapid ascent in 2025, head coach Taylor Hollander amassed one of the programs' best-ever collection of recruits. The Air Force Women's Tennis Class of 2029 ranked 10th overall on Tennis Recruiting Network's 2025 Top Mid-Major Women's Classes – The Falcons' highest-ever ranking on the platform. The No. 10 spot placet the Falcons in front of both fellow service academies, falling one spot ahead of Navy (11th) and 14 ahead of Army (24th). Air Force was the lone Mountain West program to crack the list in 2025.
In fall competition, Air Force freshmen (Jariahlyn Rhoades, Yule Kang, Alba Martinez) combined to finish 16-10 and 16-13 in open singles and doubles, respectively.
A Worthy Challenge of Aspiring Falcons:
Five matches against opponents who comprised the 64-team field of the 2025 NCAA DI Women's Tennis Championship headline a stacked spring schedule for the Falcons. Included in the gauntlet are one national runner-up (Texas A&M), three conference champions (Boise State, Denver, Grand Canyon) and six opponents who were named to the final ITA national rankings in 2025 (Texas A&M, Oklahoma, San Diego State, SMU, Boise State, Nevada).
The Falcons open the weekend in competition against NMSU on Saturday, followed by taking on the host Lumberjacks the following day. Both matches on Saturday and Sunday are slated for a 10 a.m. MT first serve.
Follow Along:
Live scoring will be provided for both matches via StatBroadcast. Links to scoring for both matches can be found on the women's tennis schedule page at goairforcefalcons.com.
Looking for a Bounce Back:
The Falcons, at 0-3 after opening the season on a Power-Four road tour at SMU (6-1), No. 2 Texas A&M (7-0) and Colorado (4-0), look to score their first wins of the season in Flagstaff over the weekend. As a whole, the field combines for an 0-6 start, with both NMSU and NAU respectively opening at 0-2 (vs. Oregon – L, 4-0; vs. Idaho – L , 4-3) and 0-1 (at Arizona – L, 6-1).
An Historic Turnaround:
The Falcons underwent their largest single-season turnaround in the program's history in 2025, closing the year ranked ninth in the final ITA Mountain Region rankings. In the second season of head coach Taylor Hollander's tenure, Air Force improved from a last-place finish in 2023-24 to going 12-14 and 4-6 against Mountain West opponents. The Falcons ended their season as the seven-seed in the 2025 Mountain West Championship, shutting out New Mexico in the opening round and scoring a 4-1 win over No. 69, two-seeded Nevada – A win representing Air Force's highest-seeded postseason victory since 2017.
A Rising Standard:
In the wake of Air Force's rapid ascent in 2025, head coach Taylor Hollander amassed one of the programs' best-ever collection of recruits. The Air Force Women's Tennis Class of 2029 ranked 10th overall on Tennis Recruiting Network's 2025 Top Mid-Major Women's Classes – The Falcons' highest-ever ranking on the platform. The No. 10 spot placet the Falcons in front of both fellow service academies, falling one spot ahead of Navy (11th) and 14 ahead of Army (24th). Air Force was the lone Mountain West program to crack the list in 2025.
In fall competition, Air Force freshmen (Jariahlyn Rhoades, Yule Kang, Alba Martinez) combined to finish 16-10 and 16-13 in open singles and doubles, respectively.
A Worthy Challenge of Aspiring Falcons:
Five matches against opponents who comprised the 64-team field of the 2025 NCAA DI Women's Tennis Championship headline a stacked spring schedule for the Falcons. Included in the gauntlet are one national runner-up (Texas A&M), three conference champions (Boise State, Denver, Grand Canyon) and six opponents who were named to the final ITA national rankings in 2025 (Texas A&M, Oklahoma, San Diego State, SMU, Boise State, Nevada).
Players Mentioned
Taylor Hollander Interview - January 13th, 2026
Tuesday, January 13
Taylor Hollander Interview Sept 23, 2025
Tuesday, September 23
Taylor Hollander Interview - September 16th, 2025
Tuesday, September 16
Taylor Hollander Interview - April 29th, 2025
Tuesday, April 29
