Men's Tennis Splits Road Series In Utah

POCATELLO, Idaho -- The Idaho State men's tennis team split a pair of matches on the road this weekend in Utah. The Bengals swept Chicago State Sunday afternoon after dropping a close match to Southern Utah on Saturday.
 
"We had a strong performance today following our first match outdoors against Southern Utah," said Head Coach Mark Rodel. "We were able to win all three doubles today and all six singles matches to take a 7-0 win. The guys came out and competed well and were able to execute from start to finish."
 
Recap of Chicago State
Idaho State put on a dominant display against Chicago State with just one match going three sets in the 7-0 win for the Bengals.
 
It started with a clean sweep of the doubles matches. Lukas Ridemar and Francis Filipovich were the first ones to victory in a 6-1 win at No. 3. Peter Trhac and Fynn Lohse followed with a 6-4 win at No. 1, and David Felix and Gary Rendek closed play with the same result on court No. 2.
 
Filipovich had the largest margin of victory in the match. The senior lost just one game in his 6-0, 6-1 win. Felix and Rendek each lost just four games in their matches. Felix claimed a 6-3, 6-1 win at No. 1, and Rendek topped his opponent 6-2, 6-2 at No. 4.
 
At No. 2 singles, Trhac emerged with the victory in a 6-2, 6-3 win, and at No. 5, Ridemar triumphed in a 6-2, 6-4 win. Lohse was the only Bengal to drop a set on the day though he still had a solid 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 win at No. 3 singles.
 
Southern Utah Match
The Thunderbirds took the first contest of the match with a 6-1 win at No. 3 doubles. Trhac and Lohse responded with a 6-3 win at No. 1 to tie the series, but SUU claimed a tight 7-5 win for the doubles point.
 
"We experienced a tough loss against Southern Utah, dropping a 4-3 decision that boiled down to our doubles," Rodel said. "…Unfortunately, we came up a bit short. We put ourselves in a good position to snatch a win on the road and outdoors against a very strong Southern Utah team. Overall, I'm disappointed with the loss, but there were some positives that we can take from that. We're right in the thick of the Big Sky action and we have good opportunities that lay ahead."
 
Southern Utah continued its strong start with straight-set wins at No. 1 and No. 3 singles. Rendek picked up the first point of the day for Idaho State at No. 5 with a 7-6 (3), 6-3 victory.
 
The T-birds clinched the match with a win at court No. 4 before ISU took the next two contests. Trhac came from behind at No. 2 singles. After dropping the first set 4-6, he claimed back-to-back 6-2 victories to take the match.
 
Filipovich also had a comeback effort at No. 6. He fell 3-6 in the first set before evening the series with a 6-2 win in the second. He proceeded to claim the match with a 7-5 victory in the third set.
 
The loss to Southern Utah was the first loss in conference play for Idaho State.
 
Idaho State is now 5-6 overall and 2-1 in Big Sky play. The Bengals have a short turnaround with an upcoming match against UNLV slated for 11 a.m. Tuesday morning.
 
Southern Utah 4, Idaho State 3
Singles Competition

1. Salvador Mijares (SUU) def. David Felix (ISU) 6-4, 6-4
2. Peter Trhac (ISU) def. Keonho Shin (SUU) 4-6, 6-2, 6-2
3. Remus Cope (SUU) def. Fynn Lohse (ISU) 6-2, 7-5
4. Juan Erro (SUU) def. Lukas Ridemar (ISU) 6-4, 7-6
5. Gary Rendek (ISU) def. Jake Williams (SUU) 7-6, 6-2
6. Francis Filipovich (ISU) def. Conor Tordoff (SUU) 3-6, 6-2, 7-5

Doubles Competition

1. Peter Trhac/Fynn Lohse (ISU) def. Jake Williams/Remus Cope 6-3
2. Conor Tordoff/Keonho Shin (SUU) def. David Felix/Gary Rendek (ISU) 7-5
3. Juan Erro/Salvador Mijares (SUU) def. Francis Filipovich/Lukas Ridemar (ISU) 6-1

 
Doubles Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2
Singles Order of Finish: 3, 1, 5, 4, 2, 6
 
Chicago State 0, Idaho State 7
Singles Competition

1. David Felix (ISU) def. Felix Savard (CSU) 6-3, 6-1
2. Peter Trhac (ISU) def. George Botha (CSU) 6-2, 6-3
3. Fynn Lohse (ISU) def. Gonzalo Martinez (CSU) 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
4. Gary Rendek (ISU) def. Nicholas Liddy (CSU) 6-2, 6-2
5. Lukas Ridemar (ISU) def. Francesco Bonacia (CSU) 6-2, 6-4
6. Francis Filipovich (ISU) def. Cody Wurzelbacher (CSU) 6-0, 6-1

Doubles Competition

1. Peter Trhac/Fynn Lohse (ISU) def. Jakov Suler/Felix Savard (CSU) 6-4
2. David Felix/Gary Rendek (ISU) def. George Botha/Gonzalo Martinez (CSU) 6-4
3. Francis Filipovich/Lukas Ridemar (ISU) def. Cody Wurzelbacher/Francesco Bonacia (CSU) 6-1

 
Doubles Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2
Singles Order of Finish: 4, 1, 2, 3, 6, 5