The Idaho women’s tennis team continued its winning streak Saturday, defeating the Missouri-Kansas City Kangaroos in Lewiston.
The Vandals swept the ‘Roos 7-0 to win their seventh straight match, improving their record to 7-1 on the season.
“I was impressed with the effort,” Idaho coach Jeff Beaman said. “We had some issues, but the girls were receptive and tried hard. They not only won, but they got better in the way they were approaching it and competing.”
Idaho won the doubles matches 8-1 and 8-0, led by Victoria Lozano and Almudena Sanz at No. 1 doubles.
Lozano lost the first set of her No. 1 singles match against Dimitra Stavrianakou, but came back to steal the second and tiebreaker.
“I was expecting to be more consistent with my shots — especially my forehand,” Lozano said. “But then I saw that she was having trouble with my slice, so I used it as often as I could. I decided to be aggressive at the net and be calm, which helped me win the second set.”
After weeks of consistent outings, the Vandals finally entered the ITA Top 75 rankings for the first time in more than 10 years.
The team is confident in its chances to win the WAC Tournament. Beaman, however, told his team to not lose focus.
“I told them you’re on a hot streak, you’re a part of something good,” Beaman said. “Focus on doing the right things and that’s the only way to continue.”
Beaman said he would rather his team lose and learn something than his team win and not learn from its mistakes.
“Learning how to lose is just as important as winning,” Beaman said. “Learning from your losses is even more important.”
“What Jeff is telling us is that as long as we’re working for something, to get better, it doesn’t matter if we lose,” Lozano said. “The important thing is to keep working, have a goal, and if we lose, don’t feel guilty and keep going.”
The Vandals have a big weekend ahead of them, playing two nonconference games against instate rivals Boise State and Idaho State in Boise.
“The matches are going to be physically and mentally demanding,” Lozano said. “I don’t want to lose my zone and I want to be smart with my shots. If there’s anything I need to change, change it right away during the match.”
Beaman is excited about his team’s chances to make the NCAA Tournament, but warns them to remember the little things.
“It’s staying on track, not getting relaxed, not getting overly confident and not bickering as a team,” Beaman said. “Do the right things and we can accomplish great things this year.”
Conor Gleason can be reached at [email protected]