PHOENIX, Arizona – The Idaho State men's tennis team punched its ticket to the Big Sky Conference Championship match with a thrilling 4–3 victory over No. 2 seed Montana on Friday morning at the Phoenix Tennis Center. The No. 3 seeded Bengals advance to their first Big Sky Tournament Championship match since 2021 and will be searching for their first conference tournament title since 1990.
"The guys fought hard to get the win today", Oliver Good shared. "We'll recover now and get ready for NAU tomorrow."
Doubles
Idaho State came out strong in doubles play, sweeping the completed courts to secure the opening point and take early control of the semifinal matchup.
Singles
Idaho State delivered a resilient effort in singles play, winning three key courts after claiming the doubles point to reach four total points and secure the 4–3 victory. The Bengals received key contributions throughout the lineup, including wins from Luka Vujacic at No. 5 and Rafael Maya at No. 6, setting the stage for a dramatic finish.
- No. 1 Singles: Valentino De Pellegrin fell to Tom Bittner, 6–7 (7-9), 4–6.
- No. 2 Singles: Sep de Visser defeated Duncan McCall, 4–6, 7–5, 7–5.
- No. 3 Singles: Hayden Ciguenza fell to Baltaz Wiger-Nordas, 7–6 (7-3), 3–6, 3–6.
- No. 4 Singles: Sam Wensley fell to Matt Upton, 3–6, 3–6.
- No. 5 Singles: Luka Vujacic defeated Moritz Lesjak, 7–6 (7-2), 6–2.
- No. 6 Singles: Rafael Maya defeated Joseph Townes, 6–2, 3–6, 6–3.
Sep de Visser delivered the decisive moment of the match at No. 2 singles, battling back after dropping the first set to secure a three-set victory and clinch the semifinal for Idaho State. His win capped off a complete team effort and sent the Bengals into the championship round.
Up Next
Idaho State advances to the Big Sky Conference Championship match and will compete for the title on Saturday in Phoenix against top seeded Northern Arizona.
