Another road loss

Idaho women’s tennis was swept once again by a Pac-12 opponent, losing 7-0 to the University of Oregon after a 7-0 loss to Washington State University came in the Vandals’ season-opener the week before.

Oregon jumped off to an early lead with a win in the first singles match of the night. Almudena Sanz and Victoria Lozano once again fought hard and led 5-4 in the pro-set against sophomore Nicole Long and senior Patricia Skowronski. The top two Idaho players were unable to maintain their dominance on the court with an 8-6 loss in the closest contested match of the evening.

At No. 2 doubles, junior Alejandra Lozano and freshman Belen Barcenilla gave the team hope that they would at least win the doubles point with an 8-5 match victory. These hopes were hindered because the Vandals were unsuccessful in securing the advantage at the No. 1 doubles spot.

In the closest singles match, Lozano lost 7-5 in the first set followed by a 6-4 loss in the second set in another hard-fought match. Lozano’s skills have been tested in her first two matches of the season, facing off against NCAA elites. This week, Lozano put forth a valiant effort against Skowronski and Long, who have both caught fire in the last week. Before beating Lozano, Skowronski defeated Florida’s Danielle Collins who was ranked No. 22 at one point. Long defeated Stanford’s Natalie Dillon last week and after her performance Saturday night, she has won six consecutive singles matches. Long is also 8-2 in her last 10 singles matches played.

The No. 1 doubles team from Oregon is also a force to be reckoned with, winning two consecutive matches. As a team, Oregon is ranked No. 66 in the nation and will be undefeated going into matches against Gonzaga and Portland State at home on Friday. Idaho has a little bit of breathing room with the next match scheduled for 10 a.m. Feb. 9 in Boise against Idaho State University.

The Vandals will continue a string of road matches before finally coming home Mar. 6 to face Eastern Washington University.

Aaron Wolfe can be reached at [email protected]

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