PHOENIX, Arizona– The Idaho State men's tennis team took part in the Big Sky Conference Tournament Thursday morning where they are the fifth seed taking on fourth seeded Weber State. This is the third meeting between the Bengals and Wildcats, where they split their first two matches this season. In this one it was a close match until the end when the Bengals stepped on the gas and propelled themselves to a 4-2 win. Idaho State will move their overall record to 10-13 this season, and advance to the semifinal round tomorrow morning at 9 AM MT, where they will be facing No. 71 Northern Arizona University.
In the first round of the Big Sky Conference Men's Tennis Tournament the 5th seeded Idaho State Bengals took on the 4th seeded Weber State Wildcats. Beginning in doubles play Valentino De Pellegrin and Andreas Kramer came out with a massive win for the Bengals as they overcame Weber State's best to win a tiebreaker 7-6 (7-4). In the No. 2 doubles match Patrick Kristensen and Wikus Robbertse had their hands full, but could not come out victorious as they fell 6-4. The much-needed doubles point came down to the No. 3 doubles match where we witnessed Victor Sklenka and Hiroki Fujita put on a clinic, cruising to a clutch 6-2 win, and secured the doubles point for Idaho State. Heading into singles play up 1-0 the Bengals looked to seize control of the match and blow it open. Victor Sklenka answered that call as he won in straight sets in the No. 5 singles match and set the tone for Idaho State. Following Victor Sklenka's win we saw Patrick Kristensen and Wikus Robbertse fall in the No. 1 and No. 4 singles matches, and just like that the team score was knotted up 2-2, but the Bengals refused to lose. Putting the team on their back Andreas Kramer and Hiroki Fujita both clawed their way to come from behind three set victories and clinch the match win for Idaho State. Andreas Kramer defeated his matchup in the No. 3 singles match 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, and Hiroki Fujita downed his Wildcat opponent in the No. 6 singles match behind dominant second and third sets, winning 4-6, 6-2, 6-1. The No. 2 singles match had Valentino De Pellegrin in a hard-fought battle, and just one point away from victory as he was up 5-2 in the third set, but due to the Bengals clinching the win, the No. 2 singles match went unfinished. Idaho State came out victorious 4-2 and advances to the semifinal round.
Head coach Oliver Good had this to say on the win, "It was a great team effort today. We set the tone in the doubles, then were challenged by Weber in a few of the singles matches, but the guys stayed composed and came through big time in some third sets. We will rest up now and we look forward to going at it again tomorrow."
The Idaho State men's tennis team will be back in action tomorrow morning at 9 AM MT in the second round of the Big Sky Tournament where the top seeded Northern Arizona Lumberjacks will be waiting for them.
Women's Tennis
The Idaho State women's tennis team participated in the Big Sky Conference Tournament Thursday morning where they were the fourth seed taking on fifth seeded Sacramento State. Unfortunately, the Hornets came out on top, defeating the Bengals 4-0. Idaho State will finish their 2023 campaign with a 10-9 overall record and 5-3 in conference play.
In the opening round of the Big Sky Conference Women's Tennis Tournament the 4th seeded Idaho State Bengals matched up with 5th seeded Sacramento State. In doubles play Lola O'Lideadha and Sol O'Lideadha secured the No. 1 doubles match for the Bengals, downing their Hornet opponents 6-4, however the Bengals would be unable to win the No. 2 or No. 3 doubles matches and fell behind 1-0 early. In singles play Idaho State looked to rally, but could not do so, falling in straight sets in the No. 1, No. 4, and No. 6 singles matches. The Hornets went up 4-0 after winning these three singles matchups and they clinched the win. The No. 2, No. 3, and No. 5 singles matches went unfinished due to Sacramento State clinching.
Head coach Gretchen Maloney shared her thoughts on the Bengals performance today and this season, "It wasn't our best tennis today. We started a little shaky in the doubles and didn't get the doubles point like we are used to, and in singles we started coming back in several matches, but it was too late. When you play to clinch you have to start strong early and we did not today. Overall, the season was a positive. We had a lot of really great wins and finished with a winning record. These girls are all really motivated to work hard over the summer and come back stronger for next year. I am grateful for this team and their attitude."
The Idaho State women's tennis squad played exceptional this season and we are proud to have them as Bengals.
