It doesn’t always matter how a team wins, but when it wins. Idaho men’s tennis (11-13, 1-2 WAC) is peaking when it needs to — just before they end the season against WAC competition.
Tony Marcolina | Argonaut Idaho junior Abid Akbar serves the ball during a practice doubles match Monday on the Memorial Gym tennis courts. The men beat Northern Arizona 7-0 Friday in Lewiston, putting them at an overall record of 11-13 so far this season.
The Vandals swept Northern Arizona 7-0 Friday at Lewis-Clark State College to extend their win streak to three after a dismal March, which saw them drop seven straight.
Idaho Director of Tennis Jeff Beaman said he expected lighter competition from the Lumberjacks, but the score was misleading.
“There were a lot of competitive matches, which for as easy as the score looked, it was actually a lot tougher in terms of the amount of the time the match took,” Beaman said. “You get the confidence from the win, but you really have to earn it.”
The Vandals only dropped one match, at the No. 3 doubles position, and Beaman said winning the doubles point provided enough momentum for his team to roll through singles competition. He said he will continue to evaluate who will play No. 3 doubles with Marius Cirstea this weekend.
Junior Abid Akbar said the whole team stayed consistent and mentally tough, which it will need Saturday against Hawaii (3-9, 2-1 WAC) and Utah State (4-9, 0-2 WAC) in Logan, Utah.
“They’re both not the toughest teams we’ve played, but they’re definitely pretty strong,” Akbar said. “… it should be, it will be tough matches. We gotta keep staying mentally strong.”
Akbar said the key is to do exactly what they have been doing lately, staying focused and mentally tough.
“We have this one week to get prepared,” Akbar said. “… it’s two good teams. It’s the WAC. It’s important. We’ll see who comes out at the top.”
Beaman echoed Akbar and said Idaho, depending on the outcome Saturday, could be seeded as high as No. 2 and as low as No. 6 in the WAC Championships.
The most coveted seed in the tournament is the No. 2 seed. Whichever team clinches it would not have to play the nation’s No. 26 team, Fresno State, assuming it reaches the championship.
Idaho plays Hawaii at 9 a.m. The Vandals and Warriors both beat New Mexico State and lost to Fresno State. Hawaii beat Nevada, but Idaho did not. At 2 p.m. Idaho faces Utah State in its last regular season match. The Aggies are winless in the WAC, having lost to Fresno State and New Mexico State.
Beaman said preparation for the final regular season weekend will be nothing different, but the intensity needs to be turned up.
“This is a critical weekend,” Beaman said. “They’re healthy and we really have to go at a high intensity. We need to be on all cylinders going into these two matches.”
Nick Groff can be reached at [email protected]