April 28, 2013

USAFA, Colo. - Junior Nathan Sereke came out a hero after defeating Conor Berg in a third-set tiebreaker to give the Broncos their fourth point in a 4-3 comeback win against New Mexico in a dramatic Mountain West Tournament Final, Sunday. The win marks back-to-back Mountain West Tournament Championships for the Broncos and the 14th conference tournament championship in school history.

With the team score at 3-3 and only the match No. 2 still in progress, Conor Berg forced a third set with Sereke. Berg earned a crucial break to go up 4-2 but Sereke rallied back to go to a tiebreaker where he won 7-4.

"This was absolutely one of the most thrilling college tennis matches I have seen, and I've been around a lot of college tennis," said head coach Greg Patton. "It was magical, Nathan was a lion king out there."

Sereke has exemplified the team's turn in success this year. The Stockholm, Sweden, native started the spring season by losing his first five matches but won 14 of his last 15 matches down the home stretch, including today's clincher. As a team, the Broncos started the season with a 3-7 record before turning things around and winning 17 of their final 20 matches.

The win was especially sweet for Sereke who was on the wrong end of third-set dramatics in Boise State's 4-3 loss to Florida State last year in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Broncos started by dropping the doubles point in gut-wrenching fashion as New Mexico took the first match at No. 1, 8-5 but Patton/Sears evened things with an 8-4 win at No. 2. Reid/Mitchell, the duo which has clinched the doubles point in both of the previous tournament matches, could not pull off a tiebreaker win in their match as the Lobos jumped out to a 1-0 lead.

Comeback wins have been a specialty for Boise State which had already won five times this season after dropping the doubles point to start the match - today marked the sixth time.

Garrett Patton was the first to finish his singles match and evened the score at 1-1 as he defeated Andrew Van Der Vyver, 6-3, 6-4.

The Broncos would take the lead but only for a moment as Thomas Tenreiro won his match at No. 5, 6-3, 6-2 as Filipp Pogostkin fell on court four and Scott Sears was defeated on court three. Tenreiro's win marked the 18th-consecutive for the freshman, a streak he hopes to extend in the NCAA Tournament.

With the score at 3-2 in favor of the Lobos, Mountain West Player of the Year Andy Bettles came through with a win at No. 1 against Jadon Phillips, 6-2, 6-4 to set the stage for Sereke.

The last time the Broncos won back-to-back tournament titles was in 2006 and 2007.

The Broncos will see where they will be sent for the first round of the NCAA Tournament during the selection show on www.ncaa.com, Tuesday at 3 p.m.

No. 46 (2) Boise State 4, No. 66 (4) New Mexico 3

Mountain West Men's Tennis Championship

http://www.broncosports.com/sports/m-tennis/recaps/042813aaa.html

Boise State Women's Tennis

April 26, 2013

BOISE, Idaho - The Boise State women’s tennis team’s season came to a frustrating halt Friday afternoon when the Broncos lost a hard fought match 4-2 to Nevada in the Mountain West Championship Tournament quarterfinals at Colorado Springs, Colo. After winning the doubles point the Broncos fortunes turned around as they found themselves down 3-1 following the conclusion of the first three singles matches. They were unable recover down the stretch as Boise State finished its season at 13-10 overall.

Boise State was led by freshman Megan LaLone who recorded the lone singles victory, as well as the doubles teams of Morgan Basil-Sandy Vo and LaLone-Bobbi Oshiro who won their matches for the team point.

Boise State opened the contest by winning the first two doubles matches completed to claim the team point. The first done were Basil and Vo who recorded an 8-5 victory at the number two position over Nevada’s Juliette Legendre and Sophie Stevens. That win gives the junior duo an overall record of 18-6 on the year.

The second pair to finish was the team of LaLone and Oshiro who finished moments after Basil and Vo. The freshmen duo won 8-4 on court three over the Wolf Pack’s Caroline Konigsfeldt and Shelia Smiley to give the team point to Boise State. LaLone and Oshiro finished the year 11-2 overall. The final doubles match featuring Boise State’s All-MW duo of Manuela and Marlena Pietzuch on court one was not completed once the team point was decided.

Momentum swung quickly against the Broncos once singles started as they lost three straight to fall behind 3-1. The first off the court was Morgan Basil at No. 3 singles falling 6-1, 6-3 to Sophie Stevens. Basil completes her junior year with the second-best singles record for Boise State at 22-11 to make her 60-34 in three years with the Broncos.

The second singles match decided was court five where Sammie Watson was defeated by Nevada’s Juliette Legendre 6-2, 6-4. Watson finishes her sophomore campaign with a 20-13 record overall in her first season at Boise State.

The next match off was No. 2 singles where Sandy Vo fell to Nevada’s Emma Verberne 6-4, 6-4 to make the team score 3-1 Wolf Pack. The 2013 All-MW honoree in singles finishes the year at 17-10 overall, her career mark goes to 48-26.

Megan LaLone pulled Boise State closer when she defeated Shelia Smiley on court four in straight sets 6-4, 6-3 to cut the Bronco deficit to one at 3-2. LaLone finishes her first Boise State campaign with a team-best singles record of 23-10.

The final match completed on the day was on court one where senior Marlena Pietzuch, an All-MW honoree in singles and doubles, lost a tough one in three sets 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 to Nevada’s Michelle Okhremchuk. Pietzuch concludes her career as one of the most successful Broncos all-time with a career singles record of 104-47 in four years.

The No. 6 singles match was not completed once the team outcome was settled. But at the time its was stopped Boise State’s Manuela Pietzuch was tied at 1-1 in the third set. She had won the opening set 6-0 then lost the second in a tiebreaker 7-6 (4). The senior from Germany concludes the season at 14-4 overall and her two-year Bronco career at 26-22 overall.

http://www.broncosports.com/sports/w-tennis/recaps/042613aab.html

April 19, 2013

BOISE, Idaho - Seniors Filipp Pogostkin and Scott Sears played vital roles in Boise State's comeback win, Friday, as the men's tennis team defeated Nevada, 5-2 on Senior Day at the Boas Tennis Center.

Boise State dropped the doubles point to start the match and fell into a 1-0 hole. The team of Bettles/Sereke cruised to an 8-1 win on court one but it wasn't enough as Nevada took matches at Nos 2 and 3, 9-7.

Singles play provided some twists and turns for the Broncos who got off on the right foot when Sears gave the Broncos their first point with a 6-3, 6-2 win to tie the match.

Victor Ouvrard put the Wolf Pack back in front shortly after with a 6-3, 6-4 win against Nathan Sereke at No. 2.

That would be the last win for Nevada however, as the Broncos took charge to win the final four matches.

Reigning Mountain West Player of the Week, Andy Bettles, won his match at the top spot for the Broncos. Bettles, who is ranked 30th in the nation, won his first set 6-2 before going down 5-3 in the second. The junior would rally to win four-straight games to take the set 7-5 and move to 21-5 this spring.

Thomas Tenreiro was the next to finish with a 6-2, 6-1 result. The freshman finished with an undefeated record of 6-0 in the Mountain West, all played at No. 5, and is now on a 15-match win streak. The win was also his 20th of the season making him one of three Broncos to earn 20 dual wins during their freshman season, joining Bettles and James Meredith.

The clinch point was a nice farewell moment to the Boise fans by Pogostkin. The senior won his first set 6-0 but lost the second set in tiebreak fashion. He would then use a late break in the third set to vault to victory against Andrew Poustie, winning 6-4.

Garrett Patton added the Broncos' final point with a 7-5, 6-4 win at No. 6.

Boise State will head to the Mountain West Tournament in USAFA, Colo., as the No. 2 seed. First-round action will begin Thursday, April 25 when the Broncos will take on Air Force.

No. 44 Boise State 5, Nevada 2

http://www.broncosports.com/sports/m-tennis/recaps/041913aaa.html

April 21, 2013

BOISE, Idaho - The Boise State women’s tennis team lost a close match 4-3 to the Nevada Wolf Pack in a Mountain West Conference match Sunday afternoon at the Appleton Outdoor Tennis Center at Boise. The contest went down to the last two singles matches of the day before the Wolf Pack held off Boise State for the win. Megan LaLone, Sandy Vo and Manuela Pietzuch recorded singles wins for the Broncos who fell to 13-9 overall and 4-4 in league play.

For the second match in a row for Boise State the doubles point was decided in a tiebreaker before the Wolf Pack claimed the team point 2-1. The first position to finish was court one where the Pietzuch twins, Manuela and Marlena, lost 8-3 to Michelle Okhremchuk and Emma Verberne.

Megan LaLone and Bobbi Oshiro pulled the Broncos even with an 8-4 victory at No. 3 doubles over Nevada’s Monika Magusiak and Sheila Smiley. That set up the tiebreak on court two where Sandy Vo and Morgan Basil found themselves in a battle that went down to the wire before it went the way of Nevada 9-8 (4).

Down one point the Broncos came back to tie the team score with the first singles match decided. LaLone was the first off for Boise State recording a 6-4, 6-0 victory on court four over Nevada’s Sheila Smiley.

Nevada regained the team lead when Sophie Stevens defeated Morgan Basil at No. 3 singles 6-4, 6-4. The Wolf Pack extended their advantage to 3-1 after Julietta Legendre downed the Broncos Sammie Watson in straight sets 6-2, 6-4 on court five.

Boise State came back cutting the deficit to 3-2 following Sandy Vo’s 6-3, 7-5 victory on court two over Nevada’s Emma Verberne.

The match then came down two the last two singles contests that went to third sets. Both Pietzuch sisters dropped their first sets then rallied to force the decisive third. Marlena Pietzuch was the first to finish playing on court 1 where she battled hard but fell 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 to Nevada’s Michelle Okhremchuk which clinched the team victory for the Wolf Pack.

Manuela Battled back from a 6-3 set one defeat to win on court six over Caroline Konigsfeldt by a 3-6, 6-2, 7-5 score to finish the match. The senior remains undefeated 8-0 in singles this spring and 14-4 overall.

http://www.broncosports.com/sports/w-tennis/recaps/042113aaa.html

Idaho State Tennis

April 20, 2013

MISSOULA, Mont- The Idaho State tennis teams faced conference opponents University of Montana Saturday. The ISU men's team fell to the Grizzlies 5-2, marking the first conference loss for the men this season. The Bengal men are now 8-1 in conference play and 13-4 on the season. The ISU women's team fell to the Grizzlies 7-0. The Bengal women fall to 5-13 on the season.

For the men, the Bengal points came from singles victories in the No. 5 and No. 6 positions. Freshman Jamey Swiggart remains undefeated against conference challengers. He defeated Eric Bruan in the No. 5 spot 6-2, 6-1. Sophomore Austin Miller gained the second point when he overcame Cody Blum in the No. 6 position 6-0, 6-3. Seniors Charles Norman and Nate Gross both played tight matches against their opponents but both fell in the tie break set.

“Montana played well and we didn't,” ISU Head Coach Bobby Goeltz said. “The win in doubles really gave Montana a lift. Montana got out and played well, caught us on our heels and we never recovered. We have to refocus for tomorrow because we know what is at stake. We need to go out tomorrow against Montana State and play our style of tennis.

In the women's match, Madelyn Weltzin played a tight match in the No. 4 spot but ultimately fell in the tie break set 3-6, 6-1, 6-1.

In their final regular season matches, the ISU tennis teams travel to face Montana State on Sunday, April 21. Match times for both men and women at still to be determined. The Bengal men will secure a portion of the Big Sky Conference regular season title with a victory over the Bobcats. The men will still travel to the Big Sky Conference tournament in Sacramento, having already clinched a spot in the conference tournament. It will be the final match of the season for the women.

http://www.isubengals.com/news/2013/4/20/MTEN_0420133451.aspx?path=mten

April 21, 2013

BOZEMAN, Mont. – The Idaho State tennis teams traveled to face Montana State in their final regular season matches Sunday. The men fell to the Bobcats 4-1 and the women fell 4-0.

In doubles play, freshman Jamey Swiggart and sophomore Austin Millar defeated Markus Schleuter and Javier Marin-Morillas in the No. 2 position. Sophomores Krzysztof Stempien and Andres Coello played a close match at the No. 3 spot but ultimately feel to Harry James and Kenny Dodd, which clinched the doubles point for MSU.

Gaining the sole Bengal point, senior Charles Norman overcame Javier Marin-Morillas in the No. 2 position 6-0, 7-6. Norman finished the regular season with a 10-6 record in singles action. Swiggart has led Idaho State in the singles so far this season with a 15-3 record.

The Idaho State men fall to 13-5 on the season and with an 8-2 Big Sky record, the squad finishes in a tie for second in the regular season, earning the No. 4 seed for the Big Sky Conference Tournament next week.

“When you compare last season to this season, it is easy to see this year has been a success,” ISU Head Coach Bobby Goeltz said. “We started conference play 8-0 and qualified for the Big Sky Tournament. At the beginning of the season our goal was to finish in the top four in the conference and we met that goal. We are a very young team that plays exceptionally well at home. We still need that extra bit of experience to help us get the wins on the road and that will come in time. This team will know what to expect on the road next season and that is exciting.”

The Idaho State women finish the 2013 season with a 5-14 record on the year and with a 2-8 league record, finishing ahead of Weber State and North Dakota in the league standings.


"I am even more proud of what the women have don this season that what the men have achieved," Goeltz said. "The turnaround I have seen from this incredibly young and inexperienced team has been great and regardless of their record, they each go out and compete hard at every match."


The men travel to Sacramento, Calif., to participate in the Big Sky Tournament April 26-28. All men's matches throughout the tournament begin at 10 a.m. Stay tuned to www.isubengals.com for tournament information.

http://www.isubengals.com/news/2013/4/21/MTEN_0421131634.aspx?path=mten