OGDEN, Utah – The Big Sky Conference announced the 2013 Tennis Preseason Poll Tuesday. The Idaho State men were selected to finish fifth while the ISU women were tabbed to finish eighth.
The Idaho State men received 66 points in the poll and finished ahead of Northern Arizona (58), Montana State (53), Northern Colorado (36), Portland State (30), North Dakota (17) and Southern Utah (11).
The Bengal women finished eighth with 37 points and were selected above Portland State (28), North Dakota (27) and Southern Utah (11).
Last season, both ISU programs saw considerable improvement. The men were one point away from returning to the Big Sky Conference Tournament and broke an 11-match losing streak to Montana State, handing the Bobcats their first loss of the season. The men finished 8-11 overall and 4-4 in Big Sky action.
On the women's side,
Laura Porras became the first female athlete to be named all-conference second team since 2004. The women finished the 2012 season at 4-13 and defeated conference foe Portland State as well as North Dakota and Southern Utah before both teams became members of the Big Sky.
Sacramento State was selected first for both the women and men. The Sacramento State women's team was a unanimous pick in preseason polls, while the men garnered all but two first-place votes.
The 2013 Big Sky Tennis Championship will be held April 26-28 in Sacramento, Calif. The top six men's and women's teams from the regular-season standings will advance to the championship.
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