After a demoralizing 7-0 defeat at the hands of BYU on March 1, a two and a half week hiatus might have been what was needed to improve a disappointing season for the Vandal men’s tennis team. Idaho holds a 6-9 record on the season.
“Sometimes that little bit of a break both mentally and physically is a really good thing,” Idaho coach Jeff Beaman said. “As bad as things were going, that break really let the guys get back on a positive note.”
On March 17, the Vandals traveled to Stockton, Calif., to take on Pacific University. The Vandals lost to Pacific 5-2, but Beaman said the competiveness was better than Idaho’s previous trips to Arizona and New Mexico.
Pacific dominated the Vandals on the singles side, claiming victories in five of the six matches, with Caesar Torres being the lone Vandal to come away with a singles victory.
“(Torres) is really continuing to impress me with the way he’s competing and getting matches out and winning,” Beaman said.
Despite the loss, playing outdoors is going to help the team prepare for the conference tournament in Las Cruces, N.M., said No. 1 singles player Artemiy Nikitin. Previously, the Vandals played most of their matches indoors.
Idaho fared much better in the second match of the week as it defeated Big Sky Conference juggernaut Sacramento State 4-1 March 18 in Sacramento, Calif. The match was a positive for the Vandals moving forward as they will be competing in the Big Sky starting next season.
“They are definitely the dominant team in the Big Sky,” Beaman said. “It’s not like we are competing against them for the conference this year, but it’s definitely a good win against a good team that we will be competing against next year.”
The Vandals earned the doubles point in both matches and despite an up and down spring, the doubles play has been a bright spot for Idaho. After some tinkering with the lineup earlier this spring, the Vandals have found a few successful pairings. Led by No. 1 pairing Jose Bendeck and Cristobal Ramos Salazar, Idaho has earned victories on the doubles side in seven of 15 matches this season.
“The guys are communicating well and putting good efforts in, so that’s another positive,” Beaman said.
The Vandals travel to Seattle March 28 to take on WAC opponent Seattle U.
The experience of this season should help in the rematch against Seattle, who Idaho defeated 5-2 to kick off the spring season in Cheney, Wash., Nikitin said.
“They’ve gotten a lot of matches in and it’s been awhile since we’ve seen them,” Beaman said. “But it’s a team we are pretty familiar with — I think it will be a pretty tough match.”
After the Vandals face Seattle on Friday, they will travel to Portland, Ore., to take on Hawaii and Portland on Sunday and Monday respectively.
Joshua Gamez can be reached at [email protected]