For Idaho Vandal senior Valentina Rodas, this weekend will be the last time she puts on the Vandal uniform.
Rodas has had a solid season and capped it off by helping the Vandals claim their lone point in a 6-1 loss to Eastern Washington. Rodas and doubles partner sophomore Chenyue Xu picked up a 6-2 victory and provided one of the only bright spots in the defeat.
Rodas hails from Medellin, Colombia, and has been a member of the black and gold since arriving in 2022, improving every year she has been on the Palouse. After a difficult freshman campaign, posting a 5-11 singles record with a 2-5 mark in Big Sky play and a 3-12 doubles record going 1-5 in conference, she came back stronger.
Her sophomore season she finished with an overall singles record of 8-10 and an impressive 5-3 conference record. In doubles, she went 8-10 overall and 2-6 in Big Sky play.
Then came her breakout season.
Rodas capped her junior year with a 14-5 singles record, tying junior Naomi Schraeder for best on the team, going 5-2 in conference play. Combined with her sophomore conference record, that gave her a 10-5 mark over two seasons in Big Sky singles play. In doubles she finished 9-7 and went an impressive 4-2 in conference play, setting her up for her final season.
This season Rodas comes in as one of two seniors and throughout the ups and downs of the year she has proven to be resilient, ready to battle and fight in every match. She enters the Big Sky tournament with a singles record of 6-5 and a 3-3 conference mark. In doubles she comes in at 6-10-2 with a 3-4-1 conference record.
Throughout the season she has been the no.5 singles player and part of the no.3 doubles partnership. In both events she fights until the end, pulling off multiple three-set victories and setting the tone for Idaho all season long.
Now as she and the Vandals head into the Big Sky tournament on a three-match losing streak, they have plenty to prove. Rodas’s leadership, relentlessness and will to win will need to be on full display, whether she is on the court or not, if the Vandals have any shot at pulling off an upset and bringing home the championship trophy come Saturday.