Constantly changing lineups helped UI early in season
For any athlete, momentum is important. For an athlete who competes multiple times on the same day, it is crucial.
The Idaho women’s tennis team places a premium value on the momentum winning the doubles point in each match brings this spring.
Nate Mattson | Argonaut
Senior tennis player Sophie Vickers sets up for a spike. The UI Tennis team goes up against Gonzaga in Spokane, WA Friday.
“We put a lot of work into doubles, and it has been very strong both in the fall and especially now in the spring,” senior and team captain, Sophie Vickers said. “We have won every doubles point so far, and with doubles being the start of the day, winning the doubles point gives you so much momentum going into the singles.”
Winning doubles has been a theme so far for the Vandals and they want to keep the theme going for the future, especially as they prepare for a Gonzaga team with an extremely aggressive doubles lineup.
“We talk about how gaining the first point is key and I think it has really helped us,” Idaho coach Mariana Cobra said. “We have won every doubles point so far and this Friday we are going to play a tough doubles team.”
Usually, most teams put emphasis on the singles side and ignore the doubles, and because of this, winning the doubles point can have either a positive or negative impact on a team’s psyche, Cobra said.
Through five matches, Idaho sits at 3-2, but the team could easily be 4-1 and tied for second in the Big Sky if a few sets had gone the other way.
With the team having such success on the doubles side, it would be easy to think Cobra found three pairings who work well and stuck with it, but this isn’t the case. Each match has had a different doubles lineup, but Cobra said that is the way she likes it.
“We keep changing things in our lineup,”
Cobra said. “Not because we want them to be tricky, but our girls are very good … It keeps the other teams guessing.”
Vickers said the team identified areas to improve on the court from last Friday’s match and everyone is working on them heading into the season. But along with improvements on the court, the mental aspect of the game is just as important. Last weekend, when they faced the 13-time Big Sky champions, the Vandals went in with nothing to lose since they were the major underdogs.
Nate Mattson | Argonaut
Senior tennis player Sophie Vickers practices with her teammates in the Kibbie Dome.
“We competed really well,” Cobra said. “That is one of the things that we talked about when we went in … I don’t care if we win or lose, we just need to go in and compete. I think if we go out and play competitively every time, we can win every time.”
The team was in a similar position last year when they lost to New Mexico State before they avenged the loss in the conference final.
“We lost to them last year and then we ended up beating them in the conference final,” Vickers said. “I think it is motivation for us. We lost to them once, so if we ever play them again they have the pressure on them.”
Joshua Gamez can be reached at [email protected]