MOSCOW, Idaho – The University of Idaho men's tennis team will take on the Idaho State Bengals in the Big Sky Conference semifinal match on Saturday, May 1, in Phoenix, Arizona at the Phoenix Tennis Center at 8 a.m.
The Vandals enter the postseason as one of two No. 1 seeds after finishing atop the North Division with a 3-1 conference record. The squad defeated Portland State, 4-1, on April 17, to secure the division title.
Overall, the Vandals enter the tournament at 7-5 on the season.
Francisco Bascon and
Bruno Casino each lead the Vandals in singles wins on the season with nine each.
Bascon, the four-time Big Sky Player of the Week, finished with a perfect 4-0 record in conference play and has won his last four consecutive matches, all coming from the No. 1 singles spot. Bascon's nine No. 1 singles wins on the season leads the Big Sky. He and Casino are tied for second in overall singles wins with nine each. Casino has compiled a 9-3 record coming from both the No. 3 and No. 4 singles spots.
In addition,
Matteo Masala is tied for fourth in No. 2 singles wins with a 3-2 record and .600-win percentage. Masala has won two consecutive No. 2 singles matches.
Masala and Bascon both earned singles wins in the regular season finale against Portland State.
Alejandro Salvador Civera added a third singles win for the Vandals in the match. Salvador Civera is 5-5 on the season and 2-2 in Big Sky play.
Salvador Civera and
Adam Taylor are 5-0 in doubles play this season, all coming from the No. 3 spot. The duo is also 4-0 in league play and is tied for first in win percentage. In addition, Bascon and Casino are a perfect 4-0 from No. 1 doubles, ranking just behind the No. 3 duo in the league standings. The duo's four doubles win have all been in Big Sky matches.
Idaho finished 20-15 on the season in doubles play overall and 37-31 in singles. In Big Sky play the squad is 9-3 in doubles and 13-9 in singles. Idaho won the doubles point in all four conference matches.
Head Coach
Daniel Hangstefer is in his third season at the helm of the Vandals men's tennis program. This will be the first postseason appearance for the Vandals under Hangstefer and the first since winning the championship in 2018, marking three championships in four seasons. Last season, the Vandals were a perfect 2-0 in league play before the season was cut short.
"I think we are in a good spot," said Hangstefer. "I think we are playing our best tennis right now. This is the time of the year where we want to be playing our best tennis. Each match we have played we have gotten better, and I think we are going to continue to be able to do that this weekend. We are going to go down there and play. Whatever happens, happens, but we are in a very good situation right now with our team and with where they are at mentally and physically."
Between 2018 and 2015 the Vandals reached the Big Sky Championship final all four times, winning three times. Prior to rejoining the Big Sky in 2014 the Vandals won the 2014 WAC Championship.
Idaho State finished the regular season 7-10 overall and 2-1 in Big Sky play. Teams in the South Division only played three conference games while the North Division played four, due to an uneven number of teams. The Bengals' only loss came at the hands of Northern Arizona, 1-6, who finished as the South Division champions at 3-0 in league play. Idaho State closed out the regular season with three straight wins over Montana, Weber State, and Sacramento State.
Patrik Trhac leads the Bengals with eight singles wins on the season, all from the No. 1 spot. Trhac and Aleksander Petrovic lead the league in doubles wins with a 12-3 record from the No. 1 spot. The Bengals are 21-15 overall from doubles on the season and 36-48 in singles. In league play the squad is 4-1 in doubles and 8-10 overall in singles. Idaho State won all three doubles points in their conference matches.
The winner of Saturday's semifinal will face the winner of Northern Arizona and Portland State on Sunday, May 2, at 8 a.m. for the Big Sky Championship and the chance to advance to the NCAA tournament as the automatic qualifier.
For the latest on Idaho Men's Tennis follow @vandalstennis on Twitter and Instagram and at govandals.com
Head Coach Daniel Hangstefer
Francisco Bascon and Bruno Casino
