The Idaho men’s tennis team finished the regular season in Boise with a road trip to face Idaho State and Boise State.
After mixed results, the Vandals return to Moscow with a weekend split, including a sweep of a Big Sky Conference opponent.
The team faced off against Boise State Saturday at the Appleton Tennis Center and were swept 4-0 by the Broncos.
Despite the loss, Idaho head coach Abid Akbar said he saw positives from the team.
“I was happy with the way the guys fought tonight,” Akbar said. “Despite the loss I think we played them very tough. Boise State is a good team. I think we are still peaking at the right time.”
Boise State made quick work of Idaho in doubles play, as Lewis Roskilly and Thomas Tenreiro defeated senior Odon Barta and sophomore Felipe Fonseca 6-3 on the No. 2 court.
Kyle Butters and Toby Mitchelle carried the Broncos momentum by defeating senior Jackson Varney and sophomore Artem Vashesnikov 6-3.
The Broncos carried the success into singles play, as Roskilly, Tenreiro and Brian Foley earned wins for Boise State.
Foley defeated Barta 7-6, 7-5 on the No. 1 court to solidify the sweep for the Broncos.
Akbar said he was excited by the growth he saw in his players.
“If we play like we did tonight at the Big Sky Championship, I think we will be in a good spot,” Akbar said.
The following day, Idaho played its final regular season Big Sky matchup against the Bengals. The Vandals dominated Idaho State, earning a 7-0 win. The win improves Idaho’s record to 15-6 on the year and 9-2 in conference play.
Barta and Fonseca bounced back from a loss in doubles play Saturday to win 6-1 over Bengal duo Josh Goodwin and Bjorn Scheepbouwer.
Mark Kovacs carried the momentum into singles play by defeating Goodwin 6-1, 6-0 on the No. 4 court to earn Idaho its first singles point.
Vasheshnikov later beat Scheepbouwer 6-1, 6-1 on the No. 5 court to clinch the win for Idaho.
The win provides the Vandals with the No. 2 seed and an automatic first round bye in the conference postseason tournament.
“(Sunday) was a good way to finish for us,” Akbar said. “The guys are playing really well at the moment. We are going to continue to work next week and make sure we stay on this path for the Big Sky Tournament.”
Idaho will travel to Sacramento to defend the team’s former conference title April 29 through May 1.
Luis Torres can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @TheLTFiles