After a weekend of mixed performances, winning two matches Friday and Saturday, beating New Mexico State to qualify for the WAC Tournament despite dropping back-to-back matches Sunday, the Vandal women’s tennis team sits at 9-10 after defeating Gonzaga Wednesday in Spokane.
Victoria Lozano and Almudena Sanz won once again at No. 1 doubles, beating their opponent 8-4. Lozano has now won nine consecutive doubles wins, leading the team in the category. Lozano is undefeated in the last two matches this time with another win in singles, defeating Gonzaga sophomore Katie Edwards, 6-1, 7-5.
The Vandals followed Lozano’s singles victory with wins from Sanz, Constance Alexander and Beatriz Flores. Flores remains consistent, having won her last five doubles matches. Rita Bermudez retired at No. 5 singles and Alejandra Lozano lost a tightly played, two-set match, 7-5, 7-6 — but not before the Vandals had already sealed the victory.
“We came out really strong from the first point on, and we did not allow ourselves any setback going into singles,” Idaho coach Myriam Sopel said. “I am very confident going into our matches this weekend.”
The match was Idaho’s second to last out-of-conference competition, and the Vandals will conclude the season with a match against former WAC foe Utah State.
“It was a great match to get ready for our three conference matches this weekend,” Sopel said. “It was a good intense match, and the girls played very well across the board.”
Next, the Vandals will face Seattle University at 3 p.m. Friday for a series of matches at the Memorial Gym tennis courts. The Redhawks are in the hunt for their first victory since March 28, having lost four matches in a row.
The Vandals will also play No. 66 San Jose State at 3 p.m Saturday. The Spartans have won four matches in a row.
The Vandals will then face Texas State at 10 a.m Sunday. The Bobcats are sitting at 6-8 overall, looking for a win after three consecutive losses.
This will be the first time the Vandals have been home since their 7-0 sweep against Eastern Washington at the Kibbie Dome on March 6.
The Vandals will then finish off the season at 9 a.m. April 20 in Logan, Utah, to face Utah State, who is coming off two losses and a win. The Aggies were swept by San Jose State, lost to Texas State 4-3, and defeated Seattle U by the same 4-3 margin.
The Vandals will need to win at least two of their last four matches in order to finish with a winning record — one that they have yet to obtain this season after a few rough patches. One of those rough patches saw Idaho start the season 0-4. The Vandals will need more than just the leadership of No. 1, Lozano to match up with No. 66 San Jose State. The Vandals are 0-3 against ranked opponents, and during their last match against a ranked foe the Vandals got two wins from Lozano, but couldn’t manage any other individual victories during a 6-1 loss to Denver.
Aaron Wolfe can be reached at [email protected]