Hopefully the third time’s a charm for the Idaho men’s tennis team as it attempts to claim its first victory since March 9 in Boise today and Saturday.
File Photo by Tony Marcolina | Argonaut Marius Cirstea, junior, returns the ball to Abid Akbar during practice Feb. 15 on the practice courts in the Kibbie Dome. The men will try to break a four-match losing streak today when they face Nevada in Boise.
Idaho is one of eight teams traveling to Idaho’s capital to play in the 2012 Boise State Spring Break Classic today and Saturday. The first match of the tournament for the Vandals (8-10) will be against WAC foe, Nevada at 10 a.m. Friday in the Boise Racquet and Swim Club.
Idaho Director of Tennis Jeff Beaman said all of the players understand the importance of the Nevada match, and the tournament as a whole.
“The guys know how huge this weekend is,” Beaman said. “Not only do we have a conference match, but a good performance will put us back on a winning track.”
Along with the two WAC schools, teams participating in the tournament include No. 42 Boise State, Ball State, Marquette, Southern Mississippi, Utah and No. 73 UAB.
Beaman said in a large tournament format, it’s more about focusing on his own team than looking at the other seven.
“The goal here is to get all of the guys out on the court playing the best tennis that they can play,” Beaman said. “We’re not going in there preparing for just Nevada or even Utah or UAB. We just want to be healthy and ready to play good tennis.”
Idaho played Boise State once already this year, but fell 7-0 to the Broncos. The two teams are on opposite sides of the tournament bracket.
If the Vandals vanquish the Wolf Pack, they face the winner of the Utah/UAB match at 2 p.m. Friday. A loss for the Vandals would have them play the Utah/UAB loser also at 2 p.m.
Beaman said in a tournament filled with quality teams, Idaho’s strong non-conference schedule should help out his team in some of the tougher matches.
“We’ve played a tough schedule this year, and if I was to pick something to play and the level of teams, this tournament is perfect,” Beaman said. “You have a bunch of teams that may not be in the rankings, but may be really close, playing this weekend. We’re the type of team that if we go out and beat some of these teams, we get back that confidence needed for the rest of the season.”
The Vandals, who are riding a four-match losing-streak, travel to Las Cruces, N.M., to face UT-Arlington March 31 and New Mexico State April 1.
Madison McCord can be reached at [email protected]