Game Notes: Sacramento State
ABOUT IDAHO STATE
The Idaho State men's tennis team (0-2) hosts their third straight home contest at Reed Gym on Friday, Feb. 4 at 3:30 p.m. against defending conference tournament champion Sacramento State (0-2).
GROSS UNDEFEATED IN SINGLES PLAY
Sophomore
Nate Gross has gone undefeated in singles with a 2-0 record to open the season. Gross opened with a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Utah State's Lenny Whiting at the No. 6 spot to capture his second consecutive season opening singles victory. He moved up to the No. 5 spot when the Bengals hosted Montana in a non-conference match-up three days later. Gross defeated Montana's David Cysneiros 6-4, 7-6 (7-1) for his second straight victory.
BENGAL MEN CAPTURE FIRST DOUBLES VICTORY
Senior
Danel Barrenechea and junior transfer
Rodrigo Azevedo also captured a victory in the doubles draw. The Bengals teamed up at the No. 3 spot for the first time. The Bengals fought back from being down a break at 4-5 to overcoming Ben De Marois and Michael Facey 8-6.
FRESHMAN AZEVEDO SHOWS TALENT IN FIRST MATCH
Freshman
Gilberto Azevedo nearly crushed his opponent Frederick Peterson at the No. 3 spot in a 6-1, 6-2 decision in his first collegiate match. G. Azevedo captured the first five games before Peterson could put himself on the scoreboard and in the second set Azevedo opened with a four-game run. His talent moved him up to the No. 1 spot in the Bengal line-up against Montana.
WOMEN'S STANDOUT - SEVERINO
In her first collegiate match, freshman
Laura Severino pushed Utah State's Brianna Harris to a tiebreaker in the first set at the No. 6 spot. Severino fought back from a 5-2 deficit in the first set, winning four straight games to take a 6-5 lead. She was overcome 7-6 (7-5) in the first set before falling 6-1 in the second after Utah State built momentum.
BENGALS LOOK TO OVERCOME LOSING STREAK
The Idaho State men look to overcome an eight match losing streak. The men's last victory was a 6-1 decision over Northern Colorado at Reed Gym. The Idaho State women look break a two-match losing streak. The women's last victory was a 6-1 win over Portland State on neutral ground.
BENGAL MEN FIGHT FOR PLAYING POSITIONS
The men's line-up is still a day-to-day decision as the Bengals fight for their spots in practice. No position has been played twice by any player. Freshman G. Azevedo moved up from the No. 3 spot to No. 1 while senior Barrenechea dropped down from the No. 1 position to No. 2. Sophomore Gross moved up from the No. 6 spot to No. 5 and is the only Bengal on a two-match win streak. Cavalcanti also moved up from No. 5 to No. 3 while
Dakota Pate fell from the No. 2 spot to the No. 4.
Colton Pate has competed in one singles match at the No. 4 spot. Buckingham and D. Pate have played doubles together twice at the No. 2 and No. 1 positions, so has G. Azevedo and Cavalcanti. Barrenechea has played with both Gross and R. Azevedo at the No. 3 spot.
ABOUT SACRAMENTO STATE
Sacramento State opened the season with an 0-2 record playing the toughest competition in the nation on the road. The Hornets opened the season with No. 2 USC in a 6-1 loss. Only SAC's No. 4 player Aliaksandr Malko posted a victory. The men then fell 7-0 to No. 8 Standford. Malko is the only Hornet to post a victory this season. The Hornets had three matches scheduled before the Bengals, two of which were postponed due to inclement weather at UC Davis and a home contest aganist Nevada. Sacramento State will play at Weber State at 8 a.m. on Friday, February 4 before traveling to Pocatello to play the Bengals. The Hornets finished 19-7 in 2010, downing Eastern Washington for the Big Sky championship. The Hornet men are led by two-time MVP senior Kiryl Harbatsiuk.
--www.isubengals.com--
