Idaho goes into bye week on high note
Before last weekend, the Idaho women’s tennis team lost three straight matches, two of which were against nationally ranked teams.
Despite those losses, the players said they felt they were going to help in the long run. They may have been right as the Vandals returned to conference play in a dominating fashion with a 7-0 sweep of Southern Utah and a 5-2 victory over Northern Arizona, both coming at higher elevations than the Vandals are accustomed to.
File Photo by Nathan Romans | Argonaut
Sophomore Galina Bykova returns a volley during practice Oct. 1 at the Memorial Gym tennis courts. Bykova and the Vandals went 2-0 with two Big Sky wins over the weekend.
The team battled through the elevation changes and put together two of their best matches all season, Idaho coach Mariana Cobra said.
“The girls did a great job of staying calm and executing and working on the things that we have been working in practice,” Cobra said. “It was a great win for sure.”
Along with the elevation, the Vandals also handled something else they hadn’t had to deal with all season — a hostile crowd.
When the Vandals faced off with Northern Arizona in Flagstaff, Arizona, they had to deal with a crowd for the first time this season. But the team didn’t let it affect their play on the court, which is a great sign, since the Big Sky Tournament will be held on the home court of the 13-time defending Big Sky Champions Sacramento State, Cobra said. The team will have to deal with it then as well.
The Vandals currently sit at second in the Big Sky with a 7-1 conference record, trailing the Sacramento State Hornets. NAU is currently third after the match Sunday.
“We were picked third and Northern Arizona was picked fourth and they have had some good wins this year and playing in the conditions that we did, it was a huge win,” Cobra said.
The Vandals will be off this weekend, which gives the team some added time to rest and prepare for another Big Sky heavyweight — the fourth-place Montana Grizzlies April 10 in Moscow.
The added rest gives the Vandals the luxury of making sure they are rested and healthy when they host the Grizzlies in a match with major Big Sky implications.
Cobra said the team hasn’t peaked yet, but they are on track to peak for the Big Sky Tournament April 24.
Every team wants to be playing their best tennis when it comes time for the conference tournament, which the team is on track to do, she said.
Joshua Gamez can be reached at [email protected]