The No. 72 Idaho men’s tennis team will face what may be its toughest challenge of the season when the Vandals take on No. 39 Brigham Young University Friday in Spokane.
Philip Vukelich | Argonaut
Senior Abid Akbar volleys while playing the net at practice Thursday on the Memorial Gym tennis courts. The Vandals will play No. 39-ranked BYU Friday in Spokane.
Idaho (20-4), fresh off a hard-fought 4-3 win against Sacramento State Sunday, will look to earn its second victory against a nationally-ranked team this season. The Vandals are 1-2 against ranked teams with their only win coming against then-No. 73 Saint Mary’s in March.
BYU is 16-4 on the season and will enter Spokane on a five-match win streak. Its latest victory came against No. 46 Boise State University in Boise, where the Cougars snapped BSU’s 28-match home win streak. BYU has also beaten six other ranked teams including No. 38 San Diego. Its only losses against ranked teams this season came to No. 2 UCLA and No. 41 Stanford.
Idaho coach Jeff Beaman said BYU’s resume means the Vandals will have their hands full.
“They’ve had a lot of competition against top-level programs,” Beaman said. “So, they’ve seen it. They played UCLA. They just knocked off Boise State. So, they’re used to playing under pressure against top-level competition. Right now they’re healthy and playing well, so it’s going to be a tough match.”
Beaman said Idaho will need to step up in the doubles matches, where the Vandals will be without senior Marius Cirstea who, along with fellow senior Abid Akbar, form one of Idaho’s most consistent doubles teams at No. 1. Cirstea suffered an injury against Texas-Arlington on April 1 and Beaman said they are resting him to make sure he is healthy during the Western Athletic Conference Championships in two weeks. Sophomore Dmitry Perevoshchikov, who replaced Cirstea in the last two matches, will likely pair up with Akbar in the BYU match. He and Akbar have struggled together, though, losing against Sacramento State and Oklahoma State’s No. 1 teams. They will have a tough test ahead of them as BYU’s No. 1 double pair, Patrick Kawka and Francis Sargeant, are ranked 86th in the country, although they are coming off a loss at BSU.
The Cougars have plenty of talent in singles as well. Kawka is ranked No. 42 after upsetting BSU’s 33rd-ranked Andrew Bettles. Perevoshchikov will likely face him at the No. 1 position. Francis Sargeant, BYU’s No. 3 player, boasts a 24-7 record. He will likely match up with Idaho junior Jose Bendeck who has filled in nicely for Cirstea at the No. 3 position, winning against OSU and Sacramento State. Sophomore Cristobal Ramos Salazar has also played well lately. He won his last two matches at No. 4.
Senior Ivan Krijanto, who clinched Idaho’s victory against Sacramento State by winning at the No. 6 singles positions, said the Vandals will try to carry the momentum from their latest win into today.
“It’s great for us that we have more confidence and we’re looking forward to the match against BYU,” Krijanto said.
Coach Beaman said Idaho’s hope for an upset win lies in a complete effort from everyone in the lineup.
“We have a deep team,” Beaman said. “We need everybody to show up and play as well as they’ve played this year.”
Beaman said one advantage BYU has is its familiarity with Idaho. BYU assistant coach Daniel Pollock was the assistant Idaho men’s coach during the 2010-11 season. Pollock worked under Beaman and helped coach Akbar, Cirstea and Bendeck. He was then promoted to head coach of the women’s team the following season before being hired at BYU.
Pollock said he still pulls for Idaho “when they’re not playing BYU.” He said his team knows not to take the 20-win Vandals lightly.
“It’s definitely a match we’re taking very seriously,” Pollock said. “We have a lot of respect for them.”
Pollock said he is looking forward to seeing his former players as well as coach Beaman, who Pollock said was a “big inspiration” for him while he was there.
Though they will be rivals in Spokane, Beaman said he is proud of Pollock’s success at his new program.
“It’ll be nice to see him,” Beaman said. “He’s doing well there. He’s enjoying it. It’s good to see somebody that works with you move on and sort of continue their career and do well.”
Idaho was originally scheduled to play Lewis-Clark State College Saturday in Moscow. However, Beaman said since schools are only allowed to play on 25 dates throughout the year, the LCSC match was cancelled to prevent going over that limit. The BYU match will start at 5 p.m. in Spokane.
Anthony Kuipers can be reached at [email protected]