POCATELLO, Idaho – The Bengals women's tennis team are heading down to Phoenix, Arizona this weekend to chase the Big Sky Conference tournament championship. Idaho State finished out the regular season with a 10-8 record overall and 5-3 record in conference play, earning them the 4th seed in the conference tournament.
The Bengals are looking to bring the Big Sky tournament title back to Pocatello for the first time since they went back-to-back in 1983 and 1984. Idaho State will begin play on Thursday morning at 9 AM MT in an opening round matchup with conference foe, 5th seeded Sacramento State, who they defeated in Pocatello in their single matchup this season winning in dramatic fashion 4-3.
Leading the way for the Bengals through singles play are sophomore Leah Kuruvilla who holds a 11-7 record while primarily playing at the No. 5 spot, and junior Sol O'Lideadha standing at 10-6 on the season, while playing in the No. 3 spot. Freshman Stefanya Shalakhova closely follows as she finishes her year off with a 9-4 record while mainly playing in the No. 6 spot.
Through doubles play, sisters Lola O'Lideadha and Sol O'Lideadha have continued to see success together, primarily playing at the No. 1 spot with an overall record of 13-5. The doubles team of Hana Cho and Leah Kuruvilla have also performed at a high level this season, playing in the No. 2 spot and finishing 12-6 on the year.
Men's Tennis
Meanwhile, the Idaho State men's tennis team will be traveling down to Phoenix, Arizona this weekend where they embark on their journey for the Big Sky Conference tournament title. The Bengals finished their regular season with a 9-13 record overall and 2-5 record in conference play, good enough to earn them the 5th seed in the conference tournament. The Bengals have been in incredibly hard-fought matches all year, having five of their 13 losses on the year come by just a single team point.
The Bengals are looking to bring home the hardware in the Big Sky tournament title for the first time since 1990. The Bengals will begin play on Thursday morning at 9 AM MT in an opening round matchup with the 4th seeded Weber State Wildcats, who they split their season series with winning at home 4-3, and falling in Ogden 5-2.
Leading Idaho State through singles play are freshman Valentino De Pellegrin and sophomore Victor Sklenka. De Pellegrin has played in the No. 1 and No. 2 spots this season for the Bengals and holds a 12-8 record in those matchups, riding a four-match winning streak heading into the tournament. Sklenka finished off his 2023 campaign at 12-5 on the year mainly playing in the No. 4 and No. 5 matchups. Junior Andreas Kramer closely follows the two with a 12-10 record while primarily playing at No. 3.
Through doubles play, the pairing of Patrick Kristensen and Wikus Robbertse continue to see success together, primarily playing at the No. 2 spot with an overall record of 11-5. The doubles team of De Pellegrin and Kramer have also done well this season, playing in the No. 1 spot and finishing 10-9 on the year.
To stay up to date with Idaho State Men's Tennis, follow the Bengals on Instagram and Twitter.
