By the time Idaho men’s tennis takes to the courts Saturday in Las Cruces, N.M., it will have been 23 days since the squad won a match.
The slump is misleading, though. Since the seven-match losing streak started, the Vandals have faced two top-30 teams, two Pac-12 teams and a Big East and Big 10 opponent. Idaho also dropped its first WAC match of the season to Nevada, 4-2.
Tony Marcolina | Argonaut Idaho's Filip Fichtel returns the ball during practice Tuesday on the Memorial Gym courts. Last fall, Fichtel went 4-7 in singles play and 0-3 in doubles. The men will play UT-Arlington at 1 p.m. Saturday and New Mexico State at 10 a.m. Sunday in Las Cruces, N.M.
But, Idaho Director of Tennis Jeff Beaman believes the trip to New Mexico could be the turnaround for the rest of the season. Idaho plays future WAC member UT-Arlington at 1 p.m. Saturday and current WAC member New Mexico State at 10 a.m. Sunday, both in Las Cruces.
“If we get every guy to go out and give it his all, it should be competitive matches,” Beaman said. “We could go 2-0, we could go 0-2. It’s all on the guys at this point. I can get them ready but it’s up to them to step up and doing it as an individual for us to get some wins.”
The UT-Arlington Mavericks are 4-9 on the season, with blowout losses to No. 6 Baylor, No. 16 Texas and No. 10 Texas A&M. Their wins came against Centenary College, Cameron, Southern Miss and Sacramento State.
The Aggies’ schedule is almost a mirror image of Idaho’s. New Mexico State started the season ranked in the high 50s, played a number of top-75 teams and dropped out of the rankings after enduring multiple losses. The Aggies are 4-12 on the season and are enduring a nine-game losing streak with their most recent loss to No. 29 Texas Tech, 7-0.
Beaman said even though the Vandals have claimed more doubles points recently than in the first half of the season, singles points remain elusive.
“Good teams, you get the doubles point and use that confidence to get on top of the opponent,” Beaman said. “With these guys, it’s great to have that point, but they don’t know how to finish.”
He said the team doesn’t take to the court as a group and use momentum to finish the match. It is no different in the singles point, he said.
“Sometimes in those individual matches, they don’t quite have that killer instinct they need,” Beaman said.
Beaman said both the Mavericks and Aggies are formidable opponents. He said the Mavericks could provide for a bit of a warm-up for an Aggie team that is always difficult at home.
“They have a great crowd, the conditions are very different, a lot faster than what we’re used to,” Beaman said. “We need to go get some confidence playing Texas-Arlginton … it will be a great warm up.”
Beaman said preparation does not change regardless of the outcome, but if individuals do not perform well they will drop in the lineup.
“I can get them ready but it’s up to them to step up and doing it as an individual for us to get some wins,” Beaman said.
Idaho returns home to face Northern Arizona at 4:30 p.m. April 6.
Nick Groff can be reached at [email protected]