LEWISTON, Idaho—The Idaho men's tennis team clinched its spot in the upcoming Big Sky Tournament. The Vandals defeated Montana State, 6-1, on Saturday to move to 8-2 in conference play. The win moved into sole possession of second in the Big Sky standings, guaranteeing a top-six finish.

The Silver and Gold swept doubles play in the early portion of the match, gaining the 1-0 advantage. Mark Kovacs and Carlos Longhi Neto earned their 14th win at the No. 1 position. They continued their strong play with a 6-3 win over Montana State's top pairing.

Idaho's momentum carried over into singles play. The Vandals won five of the six matches to clinch in convincing fashion. Junior Felipe Fonseca won his ninth consecutive match, improving to 10-0 in conference play. Kovacs took his match at No. 1, 6-4, 6-4, to improve to 12-6 at the top spot this season. Longhi Neto quickly took care of business at the No. 3 position, winning 6-2, 6-2.

Freshmen Esteban Santibanez and Guilherme Scarpelli continued to solidify the lower courts for the Vandals. Santibanez improved to 15-5 in league play with his 6-3, 6-4 win in No. 4 play. Scarpelli earned his 10th win of the season out of the No. 6 spot. He went 6-1, 6-2 over Dylan Harvala.

Montana State's lone win came from Kasper Parlklo.

Idaho has one match left, at Portland State, prior to heading to Phoenix, Ariz., for the Big Sky Tournament. The Vandals will face the Vikings on April 22.

Singles

1. Kovacs, Mark (UI) def. Bates, Kellen (MSU) 6-4, 6-4

2. Fonseca, Felipe (UI) def. Sitar,Rok (MSU) 4-6, 7-5, 10-5

3. Longhi Neto, Carlos (UI) def. Torrico,Adrian (MSU) 6-2, 6-2

4. Santibanez, Esteban (UI) def. Flink, Alexander (MSU) 6-3, 6-4

5. Parlklo,Kasper (MSU) def. Coutinho,Lucas (UI) 4-6, 6-3, 11-9

6. Scarpelli, Guilherme (UI) def. Harvala, Dylan (MSU) 6-1, 6-2

Doubles

1. Kovacs, Mark/Longhi Neto, Carlos (UI) def. Flink, Alexander/Sitar,Rok (MSU) 6-3

2. Santibanez, Esteban/Fonseca, Felipe (UI) def. Bates, Kellen/Torrico,Adrian (MSU) 6-2

3. Coutinho,Lucas/Scarpelli, Guilherme (UI) def. Parklklo,Kasper/Harvala, Dylan (MSU) 7-5