POCATELLO, Idaho – The Idaho State women's tennis team hosted their annual Idaho State Invitational this past weekend at Cappel Park in Chubbuck, competing across three draws in combined doubles and singles play. The Bengals were represented in every bracket, with Sydney Morris and Emmy Richards winning the Black Draw title to highlight the three-day event.
Head coach Gretchen Maloney said she was pleased with the way the Bengals responded in their first action of the fall.
"Overall, it was so good to be back playing again," Maloney said. "We had a really nice tournament format and it was great to see the team get out and compete."
Orange Draw
Idaho State placed two pairs in the Orange Draw with Millie Day/Veronika Zarovna and Stefanya Shalakhova/Asem Shoybek.
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Shalakhova/Shoybek opened the tournament with a sweep of Utah Tech and followed with a close knit 3-0 win over teammates Day/Zarovna in an all-Bengal matchup.
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Day and Zarovna rebounded on Sunday with a 2-1 victory, highlighted by Day's three-set singles rally.
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Shalakhova and Shoybek advanced to the final before falling to Montana, finishing as Orange Draw runners-up.
Maloney noted the quality of play from her returners in singles action.
"Millie and Stefanya Shalakhova had an amazing three-and-a-half-hour singles match and battled till the end with really high-quality tennis," she said.
Black Draw
The Black Draw featured Sydney Morris/Emmy Richards and Evelina Zhuk/Victoria Grymalska.
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Morris and Richards went undefeated on the weekend, recording wins over Montana, Utah Tech, and teammates Zhuk/Grymalska.
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Morris finished 3-0 in singles play, while Richards added two straight-set singles victories, including a 6-1, 6-1 win against Grymalska.
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Zhuk and Grymalska collected a doubles win over Montana (8-5), and Zhuk added a singles victory in her final match of the weekend against Utah Tech.
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Morris/Richards defeated Zhuk/Grymalska in the final, 3-0, to secure the Black Draw championship.
Maloney praised her duo's consistency throughout the weekend.
"Sydney Morris and Emmy Richards won the Black Draw with really consistent tennis all weekend," Maloney said.
Bengal Draw
Journee Hartman competed with three different teammates over the weekend.
- Hartman paired with Emmy Richards on Day 1, falling to UT's Tsintsadze/Roshak, 1-2
- Hartman would then team up with Victoria Grymalska for Day 2, the tandem falling to UM's Pritchard/Kietly, 0-3
- On Day 3 Journee would pair with Evelina Zhuk. The Bengal duo would fall 1-2 to their UT opponents, but Zhuk came back to defeat Hendrix (UT) in singles play, 2-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-4).
Draw Champions
Bengal Results by Player
Up Next
The Bengals continue their fall season at the ITA Bedford Cup in the Mountains, hosted by Air Force, on Friday, September 19th - Sunday, September 21st.
