In 2014, Idaho women’s tennis left the Western Athletic Conference as champions.
The team, at the time led by head coach Jeff Beaman, capped off a 19-6 season by defeating New Mexico State 4-1 and taking home what would become the program’s final WAC title.
But the success didn’t stop there.
From 2015 to 2018, Idaho put forth a dominating run in their new home — the Big Sky Conference. Led by a strong young core of eventual program record holders, the Vandals would go on to win their next four conference championships.
That historic streak came to a screeching halt Saturday, as head coach Babar Akbar’s squad fell short in the conference championship in a 4-0 rout against Northern Arizona.
“I know it was not the results we wanted, but you cannot ask for a better group of kids, a better group of competitors, student athletes, and they are great representatives of the university,” Babar said in a news release. “We’re looking forward to getting back to it next year.”
The second-seeded Vandals looked to be on the precipice of a sixth consecutive conference title after a narrow victory against Weber State Friday. The Vandals eventually defeated Weber State 4-3, but not without the help of junior Maggie Chen, who sealed the deal for the Silver and Gold in a three-set nail biter.
After notching a 7-5 win tin the first set, Chen’s opponent, Morgan Dickason, stormed back 4-6 in the second. But with renewed vigor, Chen swept the final set 6-0, earning Idaho a spot in the finals.
“I believe we played a competitive and fun match, where everybody gave their all,” Babar said in a news release. “The doubles point was very important, and it helped us get through the rest of the match.”
Lighting did not strike twice for the Vandals, who lost the doubles point against the Lumberjacks two days later in the championship. The early deficit spelled doom for the otherwise postseason-savvy Vandals.
Marianna Petrei, who eclipsed the program record for wins in singles against Weber State, ended her career in the Big Sky with a loss on court No. 1, while fellow senior Maria Taveras exited her unfinished match after Northern Arizona had secured the necessary four match wins.
“I’m very proud of the kids we’ve had,” Babar said in a news release. “They’ve been a fantastic group of kids who put in the hard work, and to our seniors who have dedicated four years to an amazing run with that Idaho.”
Brandon Hill can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @brandonmtnhill