Idaho takes Big Sky break, travels to Mountain West territory
After a convincing weekend sweep as favorites, the Vandals now find themselves playing the underdog role again.
Before taking on Idaho State and Weber State in Big Sky play, the Vandal women’s tennis team travels to Logan, Utah, to take on the Utah State Aggies (9-3 overall) Friday morning.
USU goes into Friday with a No. 69 ranking in the latest International Tennis Association rankings after winning five of their last six matches.
FIle photo by Nate Mattson | Argonaut
Junior Belen Barcenilla returns a serve during practice. The Vandals, who are 6-3 on the season, travel to take on the Utah State Aggies Friday in Logan, Utah.
Playing a team ranked higher than themselves is a tough task, senior Emmie Marx said, but the team is up for the challenge. She said Idaho likes playing the underdog role, though, because it puts all of the pressure on their opponent.
The Vandals defeated the Aggies 5-2 last season, but this doesn’t mean the team is overlooking their opponent. The team is always up for a challenge, and they are looking forward to testing themselves against a tough opponent, said Idaho coach Mariana Cobra.
Marx said not being as familiar with the opponent means they rely less on the player notes they get and instead they get to go out and just play — the unfamiliarity makes it more fun.
Cobra said she knows USU coach Sean McInerney. She said he has done a great job in turning the program around since being hired in 2013. Since then, he amassed a 22-13 record.
Even with all of the pressure on Utah State, the team is excited to go out and prove themselves against a top team in the country.
“They are excited to play against Utah State,” Cobra said. “They were ranked last week, so they know it’s gonna be a tough match, and I think playing a tough match before the next two conference matches is great to keep the foot on the gas.”
Marx said even though they are not playing a conference opponent they prepare just the same, and a break from Big Sky play can be a stress reliever.
“I think it’s actually good for us to play a tough team that’s not in our conference, because when you play teams in your conference there’s always that pressure, like when we played Sac. State,” Cobra said.
Because the Big Sky doesn’t lump all the conference matches together like some conferences do, it allows for situations like this, which Cobra said she feels is great for the team.
Throwing in the occasional nonconference match keeps the team fresh and makes the conference matches seem more important, Cobra said.
After Friday, the team has four more nonconference matches left on the schedule.
Joshua Gamez can be reached at [email protected]