The Cougar Classic turned out to be an impressive showing for the Vandals as they finished strong with a first place finish in the fourth flight and a fourth place in the top flight of the tournament.
These two great finishers were the Lozano twins, Alejandra and Victoria. Two players that Idaho Coach Daniel Pollock said showed what an asset they will be to the team this year.
“Vicky plays in a way which is so tough for opponents to handle. When she is as focused as she was in her first 3 matches there’s no touching her,” Pollock said.
Victoria lost to one of the top girls from WSU, Liudmila Vailieva 6-3, 6-1 in the semi-final round and ended up playing out to fourth place in the top flight. She beat some big hitters early on, much to Pollock’s liking.
“To beat BSU’s top returner (one of the top players in the region) in such commanding fashion is no mean feat,” Pollock said.
Victoria’s sister, Alejandra played in the lower flight in the tournament, but she was able to win the fourth flight championship defeating Anastasia Romantsova from WSU 5-7, 6-2, 6-3.
“I am really proud of the way Ale played tough all the way through the tournament,” Pollock said. “All her opponents were tricky match-ups and she stepped up big when she had to.”
In all four of Alejandra’s matches she fell behind but instead of giving up she kept fighting and came back and won with spirit that was not left unnoticed by Pollock.
“In her final match she pulled up hurt toward the end of the second set, but kept battling for another hour and played some great tennis in big moments against a tough opponent to secure the win,” Pollock said.
He said she should take some confidence away from this one. She is not the only one who gained confidence though as two Vandals who had never played a college tournament before also impressed Pollock.
“Both our newcomers were understandably nervous early on but I thought they both did great,” Pollock said.
He said that freshman Sophie Vickers had a great win on day one against a Boise State player who transferred from VCU (a top-30 program) as well as one against EWU’s No. 3 player on day two.
Sophomore Beatriz Flores, also playing her first college tournament ever, lost early but rolled through the constellation bracket with what seemed like ease defeating Miranda Duggan from LCSC 6-1,6-2 in her final match.
“Betty is a pure competitor,” Pollock said. “Once she settled in to the tournament she played great.”
The newcomers also played very well in doubles going 2-1 on the weekend with their respective partners.
“I felt like Betty and Molly definitely beat a couple of decent teams on day one. Today we played a team that did what we did but a little bit better,” Pollock said.
Alejandra Lozano also won two out of four matches partnered with a player from a different school that she had never seen before. Victoria and Vickers won two of their three matches in doubles.
Vandal players stood by when they weren’t playing matches and rooted for their fellow Vandals. Pollock was also there with them, pulling for a team that he is very proud of.
“It makes me happy the way they are playing and the way they are responding to competition and it’s really good,” Pollock said.
Pollock said that the team will also use this tournament as a chance to look at themselves and see how to improve.
“We still have a lot of things to work on in practice to be where we need to be come the start of the season, but for this early in the year I’m very happy with the way they are playing and competing,” Pollock said.
He said that this team works together great and is enjoyable to be around, win or lose. Pollock said that they are a fun group that loves to work hard but also loves their tennis and that team captain Molly Knox contributes greatly to that.
“She works as hard as any player I’ve ever worked with and it is rubbing off on all the girls as they are all following suit,” Pollock said.
It’s back to practice this week for the Vandals and then the EWU-Gonzaga Invitational this weekend. Pollock is amped for this tournament and for the season in general.
“With their work ethic and focus I’m excited to watch them improve and see what they are capable of,” Pollock said.