When the Idaho men’s tennis program opened the spring season with a sweep of UC-Riverside, it seemed as though the Vandals would carry that momentum into its next meeting.
Portland had other plans Saturday afternoon.
The Pilots swept Idaho 7-0 Saturday at the Louisiana-Pacific Center in Portland, dropping Idaho’s spring season record to 1-1.
The victory marks the Pilots’ second win of the week and improves the program’s record to 3-3.
Portland coach Aaron Goss praised Idaho’s competitiveness and said he was surprised that his team did not give up a set win.
“We definitely respect Idaho,” Goss said. “They are always talented and we usually have close, competitive matches. I think our guys were ready to go today.”
Brazilian sophomore Felipe Fonseca was the only Vandal to allow a Pilot player to contest a set win above six points. Pilot sophomore Mathieu Garcia eventually claimed the win over Fonseca 7-5, 7-6.
It was Garcia’s game that clinched the victory for the pilots.
Idaho freshman Artem Vasheshnikov stayed competitive in his match with sophomore Pierre Garcia, as he lost in two sets at 6-4, 6-4.
Although the Vandals did not score a team point, Idaho’s Fonseca and Hungarian senior Odon Barta snatched a win in doubles with a 7-5 victory over senior Kent Andreasen and freshman Carlos Donat. It was the Vandals’ only win on the day against the Pilots.
The game’s deciding point occured when Garcia and sophomore Michail Pervolarakis defeated Vasheshnikov and senior Jackson Varney 6-4.
Luis Torres can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @TheLTFiles