If the WAC opener was any indication, this conference might be Idaho’s to lose. The Vandal women’s tennis team improved to 4-1 on the season with a 5-0 sweep of Seattle U Saturday in Pullman.
The match was Idaho’s first home match, as well as its WAC opener. It was also the first of four straight home matches held in Pullman and Lewiston for the Vandals.
“They are continuing to roll. We went into that match with a couple injuries, had some people not playing that had been playing,” Idaho coach Jeff Beaman said. “It’s a result of the women’s team to really work hard, go out and compete hard, and their result showed.”
The Vandals took every point in the match, besides the No. 2 doubles match that went unfinished at 4-4. No. 5 and No. 6 singles were not played.
The most impressive performances came at the No. 3 and No. 4 singles. Idaho freshman Galina Bykova defeated SU’s Kristen Sames 6-0, 6-0 at No. 3, while Idaho junior Sophie Vickers also won 6-0, 6-0 defeating Kailyn Skjonsky.
The closest match came in No. 1 singles where Idaho senior Almudena Sanz won 6-0, 6-4 over Anna Lambert.
“At positions where they had challenging matches, they went out and won. At positions where they are on paper stronger, they took care of business,” Beaman said.
The Vandals were also scheduled to play Lewis-Clark State College on Saturday, but Beaman said the match was postponed due to injuries on LCSC’s team.
Following the victory over Seattle, the Vandals play the next three matches at home. It is the only stretch of home matches Idaho has all season. The only other home match comes on April 18 when the Vandals take on Oregon.
The last match in this home stretch marks Idaho’s next competition against a WAC foe when they’ll play Missouri-Kansas City Feb. 13 in Lewiston.
“In tennis, the surface, the elevation, there’s a lot of factors that can affect the players,” Beaman said. “And also travel … definitely they shouldn’t have excuses, but it is something that to get out of a van and go compete at a high level — it’s definitely harder than to have a structured environment.”
Stephan Wiebe can be reached at [email protected]