Box Score MOSCOW, Idaho - With one match remaining for Idaho Men's Tennis, a lot was on the line as the team traveled to Sacramento to conclude the regular season.
Sitting in fifth place before Saturday's action, A win over Sacramento State would secure the Vandals the fourth seed over Weber State due to the head-to-head win over the Wildcats earlier in the year, while a loss would swap Idaho and the sixth-place Hornets.
Chetanna Amadike, Sebastian Medica, Yu-Shun Lai, and Eric Wang combined to earn crucial doubles victories to secure the point in a match where each result was a major turning point on Saturday.
DOUBLES COMPETITION
1. AMADIKE, Chetanna/MEDICA, Sebastian (UI) def. Lamchinniah, Henry/Libal, Gur (SAC) 7-5
2. LAI, Yu-Shun/WANG, Eric (UI) def. Rand, Hayden/Bowles, Nick (SAC) 6-3
3. Duris, Martin/Whitehead, Miles (SAC) def. MORODER, Gabriel/DE COL, Noe (UI) 6-4
SINGLES COMPETITION
1. Lamchinniah, Henry (SAC) def. AMADIKE, Chetanna (UI) 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (7-3)
2. MEDICA, Sebastian (UI) def. Libal, Gur (SAC) 6-3, 6-2
3. Bowles, Nick (SAC) def. MORODER, Gabriel (UI) 7-5, 6-4
4. LAI, Yu-Shun (UI) def. Rand, Hayden (SAC) 6-3, 7-5
5. Duris, Martin (SAC) def. WANG, Eric (UI) 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 (OVERTURNED DUE TO PROTEST)
6. Dai, David (SAC) def. DE COL, Noe (UI) 6-3, 6-4
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (2,4,6,3,5,1)
Initially, the Hornets had come out swinging into singles action, claiming four of the six matches to hand the Vandals a 3-4 loss and the sixth seed. However, a protest was issued following the conclusion of the match related to Sac State's chosen lineup against Idaho. After deliberation from conference officials, it was determined that the protest was valid, and the result of the #4 singles match was overturned, flipping the final score to a 4-3 win for the Vandals.
With the win cemented, the Vandals leapt over Weber State for the #4 seed just in time for the Big Sky Conference tournament. They will begin prep for the first match of the tournament on Thursday, April 24, vs. the #5 Wildcats. The winner of round 1 will advance to the second and face the #1 seed Northern Arizona Lumberjacks.