A two-week break without matches might leave some teams rusty, but not the Idaho women’s. tennis team. Idaho returned to action Friday and Sunday in Las Vegas defeating Houston and Kansas.
Sophomore Bety Flores of Guzman, Mexico, said even though Houston appeared to be a good team, the Vandals were not intimidated — and it showed.
“We knew that we have the same skills they do and that if we show up and play we could win,” Flores said. “I think we played really good because we had great attitudes and we went there and played our best tennis.”
The Vandals defeated the Cougars 4-3 Friday, and Idaho coach Daniel Pollock said the lost doubles point didn’t faze the Vandals.
“We just dug in and the attitude and the toughness of the girls pulled them through,” Pollock said.
The Vandals had a day to rest before getting a win over Big 12 team, Kansas. Pollock said Kansas had more talent than the Cougars, but the Vandals’ confidence sealed another win.
“The way they came out and played and the way they decided from the very first point that they were going to win, I was pretty confident the whole time,” Pollock said.
The teams decided to hold the doubles matches because of rain concerns and instead played singles first.
Pollock said beating a team from the Big 12 without the doubles point shows the potential of Idaho’s young team.
Flores is one of two Vandals with just one year of collegiate experience and Pollock said she stood out, finishing 3-0 with a singles and doubles win over Houston and the match-winner Sunday against Kansas.
“We got to take our hats off to Bety this week,” Pollock said.
“She doesn’t get a lot of credit but she is down there at the bottom of the lineup digging out tough matches for us.”
Flores said she was happy with the way her team fought through uncomfortable wind conditions.
“It was good for us to get these two wins,” Flores said. “Our attitude helped us a lot because we were focused and set on winning.”
Pollock said the Vandals spent the first two days in Vegas practicing. He said the weather was favorable, but once matches started, the team faced cold, cloudy and windy conditions.
“We’re playing conference in Las Cruces, (N.M.,) this year so any windy outdoor matches we can get will prepare us better for that,” Pollock said.
With only a loss, to New Mexico State, out of its last seven, and three consecutive WAC players of the week, Idaho is riding a hot streak into the rest of the season.
“These two wins, to me, show that when we buckle down and don’t get distracted by outside forces and just stay confident the entire time — this shows us how good we can be,” Pollock said.
Flores said these wins will motivate Idaho.
“We realize that if we do things right and follow Dan’s (Pollock) instructions then we can beat anybody,” Flores said.
Idaho faces Portland in Spokane and then hosts Weber State, Nevada and Oregon in three straight home matches.