Early in the season, chemistry is key for Idaho
After a WAC Championship and a NCAA Tournament berth last season coupled with being picked third in the preseason Big Sky Coaches Poll, the Idaho women’s tennis team isn’t afforded the luxury of being an unknown going into this year’s season.
“I tell the girls every team we play is going to be a team that wants to beat us,” Idaho coach Mariana Cobra said. “Being picked top three in the Big Sky always puts the target on your back.”
This message isn’t lost on the players either.
“I think winning conference last year made us known and other teams around the region want to beat us even more now knowing that we got to go to NCAAs,” senior Sophie Vickers said. “So in a sense, we have a target on our backs a little bit, but going into a new conference, it is a whole different story.”
The teams in the conference aren’t the only teams looking to knock off the Vandals. Before they open up Big Sky play Feb. 13, they have two more nonconference matches, the first which is against a former conference opponent in the Seattle U Redhawks Saturday. The Vandals go into the game with a 1-1 record.
Idaho is familiar with the Redhawks as they are one of the teams they faced last year in the WAC.
“Any team you have beaten in the past can always come back and they want to beat you,” Cobra said. “We are playing in Seattle. We know they are going to be scrappy, but if we keep doing the things we are doing in practice we should match up well with them.”
Even with the conference switch, the NCAA Tournament appearance last season still is on the minds of every of players and teams. The other teams in the conference are aware of Idaho’s past success.
These early nonconference games are great for team chemistry, Cobra said, but the more important aspect of these nonconference matches is to get the lineup in order going into the conference portion of the schedule.
Building chemistry is huge for any tennis team, but it’s even more crucial for first year head coach Cobra. She inherited a solid foundation, led by senior team captain Sophie Vickers.
The Australian standout has taken the new additions to the team under her wing, which is what you expect out of a team captain, Cobra said. She said they all have adapted really well.
For Vickers, she said the most important part of this portion of the season is getting the chemistry in the doubles lineup set for the Big Sky portion of the schedule.
Even with the conference switch, the Vandals are pretty familiar with the Big Sky as a whole through the fall season and nonconference matches throughout the last few seasons. The transition to the new conference will be tough with the target on the Vandals’ backs, but being familiar with many of the teams in the conference could help the transition. .
“It will be tough for us, but if we bring our best tennis we definitely have a shot at winning it,” Vickers said.
Joshua Gamez can be reached at [email protected]