The Idaho women’s tennis team rebounded from a two-game losing streak to claim a 6-1 victory over Eastern Washington Friday at the Memorial Gym Courts.
The win improves Idaho’s record to 11-8 overall and 5-2 in Big Sky play. Meanwhile, the Eagles slip to 9-9 overall and 3-4 against Big Sky opponents.
“(The win) helped with conference standings and confidence standings,” Idaho head coach Mariana Cobra said. “When you can beat a team like that it feels good. I think we will need one more win to secure a spot in the conference tournament.”
Approximately 75 fans were in attendance for the Vandal win.
“Having a big crowd was huge,” Cobra said. “It was really nice to have a big crowd. At the end of the day you sleep in your own bed and play on the courts you practice on. It makes a difference and you could see that in our confidence.
Senior Belen Barcenilla made the most of Senior Day in Moscow by earning a win in both singles and doubles play.
Barcenilla combined with sophomore Ana Batiri on the No. 1 doubles court to defeat Janaya Smith and Faye Worrall 6-2.
The senior later disposed of Rachel Swindell 6-0, 6-1 on the No. 4 singles court.
“I think it was a really special day for us,” Barcenilla said. “I think you never think about how it is getting to an end. Today is like the first day that you realize ‘This is it.’”
Barcenilla and senior Rita Bermudez were honored by the team in a pre-game ceremony before the match.
“Today is the first day that it struck me,” Barcenilla said. “I was really excited but had mixed feelings. I was feeling sad because we have five more matches, but at the same time I was happy because it was four years.”
Freshman Marianna Petrei continued her dominating performance in singles play with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Moira Hedberg on the No. 1 court.
Sophomore Lucia Badillos claimed the most commanding victory for the Vandals with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Dani Young.
Freshman Celine Koets played Idaho’s longest singles match of the day, defeating Faye Worrall 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 10-1
Janaya Smith earned Eastern Washington’s lone point with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Bermudez on the No. 2 court.
The Vandals return to the Memorial Gym Courts at noon Sunday to face Portland State in a Big Sky matchup.
Josh Grissom can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @GoshJrissom