POCATELLO, Idaho – The Idaho State women's tennis team opens the 2017 fall season this weekend with the Idaho State Invitational, Sept. 22-24 at Reed Gym. The Bengals play host to Boise State, Utah State, Weber State and Montana in this weekend's ITA-sanctioned tournament.
The Bengals return all nine players from last season's squad that advanced to the Big Sky Conference tournament for the first time since 2004. Head Coach
Gretchen Maloney, who was named the 2017 Big Sky Coach of the Year, said confidence is the biggest change in her players from their freshman season to the start of their sophomore year.
"The team looks exactly the same as last year," Maloney said. "It's exactly the same. I think they are a lot more confident. This time last year when we went into that first tournament, some of the girls were pretty nervous and they didn't' have a lot of confidence, but I think now, after having a really successful season last year, they're fired up. They are ready to play; they can't wait. It's going to be exciting to see how we do. It's a tough tournament, but it'll be good."
As a team last season, Idaho State went 2-2 against the four teams that will be participating in this weekend's Idaho State Invitational, recording wins against Montana (6-1) and Weber State (4-1) with losses to Utah State (5-2) and Boise State (7-0). Since ISU presents the exact same roster as last season, captain
Huibre-Mare Botes says they'll know what to expect.
"It's a little nerve-racking," Botes said. "Last year, we were all new and no one knew what to expect. Not us nor the other teams. But this year, everyone knows us and how we play, so there's no surprises."
"I think people will gear up for us a little more, because last year we were just a bunch of freshmen," Maloney said. "But we are better now and more confident."
The fall season will provide a great opportunity for the Bengals to find their footing and evaluate their play for the upcoming 2018 spring season. All solely individual play, Idaho State will take part in four fall tournaments including the ITA Regional Tournament Oct. 11-15 in Salt Lake City. The fall season, Maloney says, is a great time for each individual player to work on and improve their game.
"They're all working on getting better for the dual season in the spring," Maloney said. "They're working on their games and trying to get better individually. Whatever their weakness is in their game, they are really using this time because there's not a lot of pressure. So they are using this time to really improve."
The Idaho State Invitational will begin at 10 a.m. Friday morning at Reed Gym. The event is free and open to the public.
