The Idaho men’s tennis team earned its second Big Sky Tennis Championship in the last three seasons. The Vandals swept Montana Saturday 4-0 to claim the title, with all three singles points coming from Idaho freshman.
The Vandals clinched the first point in doubles play, with a pair of match victories.
Junior Mark Kovacs and freshman Carlos Longhi-Neto handled their own in the No. 1 position defeating their opponents 6-2.
Freshman Esteban Santibanez and sophomore Lucas Coutinho followed at No. 2, with a 6-2 victory of their own.
Clinging to a 1-0 lead, the Vandals transitioned their powerful performances from doubles play into singles competition.
The first to conclude his match was Longhi-Neto. He defeated his adversary in only two striking sets 6-3, 6-2.
Santibanez helped give Idaho a 3-0 lead, when he dominated at the No. 4 position. The score of his matchup was 6-0, 6-1.
Freshman Guilherme Scarpelli clinched the victory and conference title for Idaho at No. 5. After outlasting his competition 6-4 in the opening set, Scarpelli took the second 6-3.
The Vandals finished 11-2 overall against Big Sky competition. The team also had five sweeping victories over conference foes.
Including the Big Sky Tournament, Idaho concluded the season with a 16-7 overall record, but the real accomplishment: 2017 Big Sky tennis champions.
Zack Ozuna can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter OznaZack21