BOISE -- Mario Duron and
Sebastian Medica highlighted the first fall tournament of the 2023-24 season over the weekend at the Dar Walters Classic. The two combined for a 7-5 record in singles and doubles to earn a runner-up finish.
"I am incredibly happy with the way the guys competed this weekend," Head Coach Raleigh Grossbaum said. "They were able to implement many of the things we've been working on and showed great composure in the pressure moments - winning four out of five three-set matches and eight out of 11 tiebreakers. Our guys were incredibly tough and resilient, each playing four singles matches and four doubles matches in 50 hours. Overall it was an exceptional weekend for our program."
Six Vandals combined for a 20-16 record throughout the three-day tournament, clashing against players from Boise State, George Fox, Idaho State, Weber State and Utah State. Idaho went 4-1 in three-set matches and 8-3 in tiebreakers.
The tournament was composed of two student-athletes from the same school competing as a team versus other pairs, with each match featuring one doubles and two singles matches. The team winning two of three matches advanced on.
Idaho's duo of Duron and Medica began the tournament on Friday with a dominant 3-0 win against George Fox to jumpstart their run to the title match. The pair went on to defeat Utah State 2-1 in the quarterfinals and Weber State 2-1 in the semifinals to earn a trip to the finals. They ended their run with a 3-0 loss to Idaho State.
Francisco Gay and
Taiyo Kurata contributed to the strong weekend, placing third overall in the tournament. The pair went 7-5 overall and earned wins over Idaho State, Boise State and Weber State to secure third place. Kurata put together a perfect weekend in singles, recording a 4-0 mark.
Yu-Shun Lai and
Alex Asenov combined for a 6-6 record winning their final consolation match against George Fox, 2-1.
Up next, Idaho is set to travel to USAF Academy, Colorado to compete in the ITA Mountain Regional for a four-day tournament against the region's best.
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