Idaho Predicted to Repeat in Men's and Women's #BigSkyTennis Polls
OGDEN, Utah (January 11, 2018) - After sweeping the Big Sky Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships in 2017, Idaho is predicted to repeat again this season according to the league’s head coaches. Sacramento State’s 15-year streak of being the women’s preseason favorite was snapped by the Vandal women. Coaches could not vote for their own team on their ballot.
The Idaho women are the heavy favorite this season collecting 10 of the 11 possible first place votes for 120 points. 2017 Big Sky MVP Marianna Petrei returns for her junior season and will look to become the conference’s fourth player to be a three-time MVP. The junior is nationally ranked in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rankings coming in as the 39th ranked player in the nation. Petrei was 19-1 last season playing all matches as the team’s No. 1 including a perfect 11-0 record in Big Sky play.
The Vandals also welcome back fellow Big Sky First Team All-Conference member Lucia Badillos for her senior season. Badillos also had a perfect in-conference record going 9-0 and was 10-2 playing No. 3 singles for the year. Badillos teamed up with Petrei for doubles play last season going 15-4 to earn First Team All-Conference. Maria Tavares is back for Idaho after posting an 18-3 record playing primarly as the team’s No. 4. Tavares earned Big Sky Second Team All-Conference in singles and doubles.
The Northern Arizona women finished second in the poll including two first place votes. The Lumberjacks return their top two singles players in Hanneke Lodewijks and Chiara Tomasetti. Lodewijks was a second team all-conference honoree for singles and doubles. As the team’s No. 1 singles player, Lodewijks went 13-9 on the season including a 7-3 mark in Big Sky play. Tomasetti, the Big Sky’s Co-Freshman of the Year last season, finished the season with an impressive 19-2 record including a 10-1 mark in league play.
Montana State came in third in the preseason rankings with 90 points. The Bobcats will lean on the senior leadership of Angelina Philippova who was 12-7 last season at No. 4 singles.
Idaho State and Sacramento State tied for fourth in the polls with 82 points and the similarities don’t end there. Both squads return Big Sky First Team All-Conference singles players in Louise-Mare Botes (Idaho State) and Ana Loaiza Esquivias (Sacramento State). Botes posted a 16-3 record for the season and went a perfect 11-0 in league play as the team’s No. 3. Esquivias enjoyed a stellar junior campaign going 17-6 at No. 1 singles including a 10-1 league record. Additionally, both teams return Second Team All-Conference honorees. The Bengals’ Huibre-Mare Botes is back after going 14-5 on the season playing the majority of her matches as Idaho State’s No. 2. The Hornets return Sofia Gulnova for her sophomore season after going 16-6 on the year. Gulnova played as the team’s No. 4, 5 and 6 last year.
Idaho came in as the top men’s team with nine of 12 first place votes for a total of 117 points and will look to make their third trip to the NCAA Tournament over the last four seasons. The Vandals welcome back all three all-conference members from a season ago including two first teamers. Felipe Fonseca finished with the best record of any Big Sky player last season winning 19 of 22 matches played. Fonseca won the majority of those matches as the Vandals No. 2 to earn First Team All-Big Sky. Joining Fonseca on the first team was teammate Mark Kovacs. Kovacs, Idaho’s No. 1 singles player, won 13 matches last season including nine conference matches. Kovacs was strong in doubles play as well last season going 17-3 at the No. 1 spot with Carlos Longhi Neto to earn First Team All-Big Sky in doubles. Longhi Neto was also successful in singles play earning 15 wins against six losses to earn Second Team recognition. The junior played the bulk of the season as the team’s No. 3 going 13-4 in that position.
Just like their female counterparts, the NAU men finished second in the preseason coaches’ poll with 111 points and two first place votes. Tim Handel will look to repeat as the league’s Most Valuable Player after his perfect 11-0 Big Sky record at the No. 1 spot. Overall, Handel went 17-6 for the season. Lucas Taylor returns to the team after notching 12 wins his sophomore season to earn Second Team All-Big Sky.
Sacramento State is predicted to finish third in the league totaling 98 points. The Hornets return two all-conference performers from a season ago in Mikus Losbergs and Kasparas Zemaitelis. Losbergs went 16-8 in 2017 including eight wins in league action to earn first team recognition. Zemaitelis was a strong performer for Sacramento State at the No. 3 position last season going 9-2 in conference matches to earn second team honors.
Montana received one first place vote in the men’s poll totaling 96 points to finish fourth in the preseason rankings. Fresh off of a 14-6 record his sophomore season and Second Team All-Big Sky honor, Alex Canellopoulos returns to the program. The Grizzlies also return their top two singles players from last season in Yannick Schmidl and Victor Casadevall.
Weber State finished fifth in the men’s poll with 73 points and bring back reigning Freshman of the Year Kris van Wyk. van Wyk registered six wins in league matches playing primarily as the team’s No. 3. The sophomore also earned Second Team All-Big Sky in 2017.
NAU’s Tim Handel isn’t the only returning men’s Big Sky MVP for the upcoming season. 2016 MVP Nathan Boniel of Portland State is back for his senior season and will look to carry a Viking squad that is predicted to finish tenth. Boniel went 8-3 in league matches and 13-5 overall last season to earn 2017 first team honors.
The opening day of the spring season is on Friday, January 12. The Big Sky Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships will take place at the Phoenix Tennis Center from April 26-28. The top six men’s and women’s teams in the standings qualify for the championship with the two winners receiving the Big Sky’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
| 2018 Big Sky Conference Men's Preseason Tennis Poll |
| Rank. School |
Points (First-Place Votes) |
| 1. Idaho |
117 (9) |
| 2. Northern Arizona |
111 (2) |
| 3. Sacramento State |
98 |
| 4. Montana |
96 (1) |
| 5. Weber State |
73 |
| 6. Idaho State |
72 |
| 7. Montana State |
59 |
| T8. Eastern Washington |
45 |
| T8. Southern Utah |
45 |
| 10. Portland State |
31 |
| 11. Northern Colorado |
28 |
| 12. North Dakota |
17 |
| 2018 Big Sky Conference Women's Preseason Tennis Poll |
| Rank. School |
Points (First-Place Votes) |
| 1. Idaho |
120 (10) |
| 2. Northern Arizona |
112 (2) |
| 3. Montana State |
90 |
| T4. Idaho State |
82 |
| T4. Sacramento State |
82 |
| 6. Eastern Washington |
55 |
| 7. Weber State |
52 |
| 8. Montana |
51 |
| 9. Southern Utah |
45 |
| 10. North Dakota |
44 |
| 11. Northern Colorado |
37 |
| 12. Portland State |
22 |