The Vandal women’s tennis team took the top three spots Saturday at the Lewis-Clark State College Campus Showdown.
The only losses suffered by Vandal pairings over the weekend were dished out by other Vandals. Coach Daniel Pollock said the teams had only been playing together for two weeks before the end of the fall season.
“They practiced together for about two weeks in the final two weeks of actual practice and this was their first competition together and I couldn’t have asked for more,” Pollock said.
Freshman Sophie Vickers and sophomore Almudena Sanz took first place, defeating sophomores Vicky Lozano and Beatriz Flores 8-3 in the final match. Lozano and Flores beat Molly Knox and Vicky’s sister Alejandra Lozano to get to that final match. Meanwhile, Knox and A. Lozano beat Gonzaga’s top pairing 8-6 for third place.
Pollock said the Vandals faced stiff competition at the tournament.
“It wasn’t easy, they all had their top girls in there that we have seen all season and knew they could play,” Pollock said.
Vickers said she and Sanz were surprised to win the whole thing considering the minimal time they had played as a pairing.
“We definitely weren’t standouts to win,” Vickers said. “The other schools had some top teams there and obviously beating Betty (Flores) and Vicky (Lozano) in the finals was a huge win for us.”
Vickers said the only obstacle the pairing faced was the language barrier.
“We just clicked really well out there on the court and we both enjoyed it which just helped us a lot and made us play better and we had a lot more confidence,” Vickers said.
Vickers said coaching played a role in the team’s success.
“Getting first, second and third I think is a great reflection of the program and of the team and especially of Dan,” Vickers said. “He has done great work with us this semester and its showing in our results.”
Vickers said her first season as a Vandal is progressing well.
“The training has been great and at the tournaments as a team I think we have had some really good results and I just enjoy the whole atmosphere here and enjoy being a Vandal,” Vickers said.
As the fall season ends and the team moves to individual workouts while waiting for the spring season, Pollock said he has seen more ups than downs.
“There are a lot of good things that came out of it and there are still things to work on for the spring but I’m real happy moving forward,” Pollock said. “Looking at the schedule, it looks like things could play out well for us as long as we don’t have any injuries and keep the same attitudes that we have right now, we should be good to go.”