After tough defeat Friday, Idaho comes out firing Sunday
Friday, the Vandals took their lumps at the hands of the undefeated Gonzaga Bulldogs due to a lack of preparation.
Idaho coach Mariana Cobra said she was hopeful the loss was going to be something the team could learn from going forward as they had a quick turnaround for their next match. This match was a conference match against Northern Colorado Sunday in Lewiston.
File photo by Brandon Miller | Argonaut The women’s tennis team warms up for practice Oct. 30 at the Memorial Gym courts. Idaho beat Northern Colorado Sunday in Lewiston.
Something went right since the Vandals (4-3 overall, 1-1 Big Sky) got back to their dominant doubles play en route to a 5-2 victory over the UNC Bears (4-5, 1-1).
“Getting back to winning the doubles point was a plus for us,” Cobra said. “Going up 1-0 before the singles definitely helps boost our confidence.”
The win was Idaho’s first in the Big Sky and the Vandals will try to turn it into a winning streak when they travel Saturday to Cheney, Washington, for another match with Eastern Washington. Idaho dominated EWU earlier this season by way of a 6-1 decision Jan. 31.
The team dominated on the court, but Cobra said it could have been more one sided. They left some points on the court.
Along with winning the doubles point, which has become a theme for the Vandals this spring, Idaho won each of the first two singles matches before UNC’s Lea Krajcovicova defeated junior Rita Bermudez in straight sets at No. 2 singles.
“We did end up losing at two spots, but that’s one of the great things about winning that doubles point,” Cobra said. “Sometimes when you are not on you’re A-game, people can still pick you up and come out with a win.”
Winning the doubles point, like Idaho has in all but one match this spring, is huge Cobra said. When it happens, you only need to win three singles matches as opposed to four to get a win.
The biggest difference between the two matches this weekend and the others this season was how little Cobra tinkered with the lineups, namely on the doubles side.
The Vandals rolled out the same three doubles teams in each match this weekend that they used in their loss to Sacramento State the weekend before. Prior to this, they were experimenting with different lineups at different spots.
“Doubles is all about feeling comfortable,” Cobra said. “You can’t just give up on a pair after one or two matches … I still don’t think we have a set lineup, we just have a few lineups that we know work and being able to have different lineups that work really can help us come conference.
Joshua Gamez can be reached at [email protected]