Men’s tennis prepares for road games against Weber State, Idaho State
After going 3-3 over spring break, Idaho men’s tennis is back in action this weekend for two Big Sky road matches against Weber State and Idaho State. Idaho coach Jeff Beaman was not available for comment on the upcoming matches due to a personal matter.
The Vandals currently stand at 11-7 overall with an impressive 5-1 conference record. Spring break began for Idaho with two victories over conference opponents Sacramento State and Montana State in Spokane. Junior Odon Barta and senior Cristobal Ramos Salazar were two stars for the Vandals in both matches. Each won both their singles and doubles matches.
Barta won the No. 1 singles match in both matches and Ramos Salazar won the No. 3 singles matches. Barta teamed up with Felipe Fonseca to win both No. 2 doubles matches and Ramos Salazar’s pairing with Jackson Varney won both doubles No. 1 matches. Barta’s play earned him Big Sky Men’s Tennis Player of the Week.
The wins halted for three of the next four matches as Idaho dropped matches to both Wichita State and Northern Arizona on the road. They rebounded with a win against Southern Utah, winning every match for a 7-0 victory. The break ended with a loss to UNLV in Las Vegas.
The Vandals have not faced Weber or Idaho State this spring season, but two wins on the road could move Idaho into first place in the Big Sky standings depending on how Northern Arizona fairs this week. Northern Arizona is in first with a 4-0 conference record.
Weber State is an especially important contest, as they are tied with Idaho and Sacramento State for second in the Big Sky. The Wildcats are 10-9 overall with a 5-1 Big Sky record. Idaho State sits in sixth place at 6-5 overall with a 4-2 record in Big Sky play.
Idaho returns to Moscow against Montana and North Dakota April 11 for their next two matches after this weekend.
Ben Evensen can be reached at [email protected]