PHOENIX, Ariz. – No. 6 Idaho State upset No. 3 Sacramento State 4-2 in the quarterfinals of the Big Sky Conference Championship Thursday morning at the Phoenix Tennis Center. The win places the Bengals (9-11, 5-5 BSC) in the semifinals for the first time since 2006 where they will face No. 1 Northern Arizona (20-6, 10-0 BSC) tomorrow at 9 a.m. (MT).
"Unbelievable match today," said Head Coach
Mark Rodel. "The guys came out and once again shone in doubles and set us up in a great position like we've been in all year. I asked the guys to focus on their game plans and their game plans only. I also asked them to control only things that were in their hands and they came through big."
As the team has all season, ISU took the doubles point to claim the early advantage. The Hornets threated with a 6-2 win at No. 1, but were overwhelmed at No. 2 and No. 3.
Francis Filipovich and
Lukas Ridemar evened the series with a 6-3 win, and
David Felix and
Gary Rendek clinched the point with a 6-2 victory. Idaho State has now won the doubles point in 16 of its 20 matches.
The Hornets responded with a straight-sets win at No. 1 singles, but Rendek cruised to a 6-1, 6-4 win at No. 5 to reclaim the lead. Sacramento State knotted the score up once again with a comeback win at No. 3, but the Bengals scored the next two matches to clinch.
First, Filipovich dispatched his opponent after a light first set and a close tiebreaker. The senior's 6-3, 7-6 (6) win set
Fynn Lohse up for the game-winning match.
Lohse had control of the first set early on but found himself on the wrong side of a tiebreak, putting him in a hole and giving SAC hope. The freshman responded with a win in the second and prevailed in the third set for the 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-5 win.
Idaho State will face a fresh Northern Arizona team tomorrow morning. The Lumberjacks earned a quarterfinal bye and the No. 1 seed after going undefeated in conference play. Live stats for tomorrow's match will be available
here.
"It was just a really exciting match and the guys literally took advantage of an opportunity," Rodel said. "Now it's time to recover and enjoy the moment and refocus our efforts on tomorrow which is one more opportunity."
Idaho State 4, Sacramento State 2
Singles competition
1. LOSBERGS, Mikus (SAC) def. FELIX, David (ISU) 6-3, 6-4
2. LEGASPI, Hermont (SAC) vs. TRHAC, Peter (ISU) 7-6 (8-6), 1-6, 3-3, unfinished
3. GJERDAKER, Johannes (SAC) def. RIDEMAR, Lukas (ISU) 1-6, 6-2, 6-0
4. LOHSE, Fynn (ISU) def. MILLER, Dom (SAC) 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 7-5
5. RENDEK, Gary (ISU) def. CHABUT, Louis (SAC) 6-1, 6-4
6. FILIPOVICH, Francis (ISU) def. HALL, Donald (SAC) 6-3, 7-6 (8-6)
Doubles competition
1. CHABUT, Louis/LOSBERGS, Mikus (SAC) def. TRHAC, Peter/LOHSE, Fynn (ISU) 6-2
2. FELIX, David/RENDEK, Gary (ISU) def. SNOWDON-POOLE, Josh/HALL, Donald (SAC) 6-2
3. FILIPOVICH, Francis/RIDEMAR, Lukas (ISU) def. MILLER, Dom/LEGASPI, Hermont (SAC) 6-3
Match Notes:
Idaho State 9-11, 5-5 BSC
Sacramento State 9-12, 7-3 BSC
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (1,5,3,6,4)
Big Sky Quarterfinal 1
