Eugene, Ore.-- On the heels of back-to-back Big Sky Conference titles, Idaho men's tennis is set to open 2019 dual season with a trip to Eugene, Oregon to face the Ducks Sunday at 10:00 a.m.
NEW LEADERSHIP
The Vandals open its fall season under the helm of head coach
Daniel Hangstefer in his first year at Idaho. Coach Hangstefer is no stranger in running a successful tennis program. In his last stop, Hangstefer spent a season as the men's and women's tennis head coach with Ferris State University, a Division II university in Big Rapids, Mich. There, Hangstefer coached and guided a nationally ranked men's program. He led the men's team to a 21-3 overall record and went undefeated during conference play. The men's squad captured the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) regular-season and tournament championship in the 2017-2018 season.
FALL RECAP
Leading up to Sunday's matches, Idaho competed in the ITA Mountain Regionals in October. Junior
Guilherme Scarpelli advanced to the singles semifinals where he lost to second-seeded and nationally ranked Ricky Hernandez of the University of New Mexico in the singles semifinals, 6-1, 6-3.
BIG SKY PREDICTIONS
Idaho totaled 72 points with two first-place votes, putting last season's Big Sky regular-season champs in third place. Northern Arizona was the leading vote-getter, receiving eight first-place votes and collecting 98 points and Montana took second place.
| 2019 Big Sky Preseason Coaches' Poll |
| Team |
Points (1st-place votes) |
| 1. Northern Arizona |
98 (8) |
| 2. Montana |
74 |
| 3. Idaho |
72 (2) |
| 4. Southern Utah |
69 (1) |
| 5. Weber State |
68 |
| 6. Portland State |
58 |
| 7. Sacramento State |
57 |
| 8. Montana State |
38 |
| 9. Idaho State |
36 |
| 10. Eastern Washington |
25 |
| 11. Northern Colorado |
10 |
