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OGDEN, Utah (January 12, 2017) - One team has established itself as a legitimate contender since returning to the Big Sky Conference. The other has been comfortably near the top for over a decade. The Idaho men were selected first in the 2017 tennis preseason coaches’ poll while the Sacramento State women grabbed the No. 1 slot for the 15th consecutive year.
The Vandal men received five first-place votes and 110 total points in the polls, which were released Thursday by the league office. The Sac State women also earned five first-place votes, grabbing 113 points to narrowly top Northern Arizona. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams in the polls.
In the men’s poll, Idaho prevailed amongst a competitive top five group. Defending Big Sky regular season and tournament champion Weber State grabbed more first-place votes than Idaho, but wound up second with 105 total points. Sacramento State earned 99 points to edge Northern Arizona by a point, while the Lumberjacks claimed the remaining first-place vote. Montana followed in fifth with 93 points, and there was some strong disparity in the poll from there as Montana State was sixth with 61 points.
Since returning to the Big Sky, the Vandals have earned No. 2 seeds and first-round byes in the tournament, where they have played in the championship match the past two seasons. After claiming their 11th overall Big Sky title in 2015, the Vandals were outlasted by Weber State 4-3 in a thrilling final last season.
Idaho returns a pair of All-Big Sky selections from last season, and will be headed by Felipe Fonseca. A junior from Curitiba, Brazil, Fonseca has been a first-team conference selection in each of his first two seasons with the Vandals. Fonseca was 14-7 overall last season and 10-1 in league action, primarily playing No. 2 singles. Kovacs, a second-teamer last year, had one of the top winning percentages in the league with a 15-4 record and 10-1 Big Sky mark. The Vandals show some promising youth, with no seniors on the roster and four incoming freshmen. Kovacs and freshman Carlos Longhi Neto are ranked seventh in doubles of the ITA Mountain Region.
Weber State was slotted second in the poll, and has claimed the past three regular-season titles with an overall 30-2 Big Sky record. In 2016 however, they got over the hump taking their first tournament title since 1992 with a gutsy 4-3 victory over Idaho. With its only loss coming to Idaho in the regular season, Weber State defeated all 11 teams in the league last year.
The Wildcats had two first-team selections last season, and brings back one of those players in Stefan Cooper. In his sophomore year, Cooper went unbeaten in Big Sky play and dropped just one match in doubles, going a combined 20-1 in league play. He was 15-5 overall, doing most of his damage on the No. 3 court. WSU also looks to get contributions out of key freshmen Kris van Wyk and Cezary Walkusz.
Sacramento State was picked third after finishing 8-3 in Big Sky play in 2016. The Hornets defeated No. 4 Montana in the quarterfinals last season before falling to top seed and eventual champion WSU. The Hornets return Big Sky second-team selection Mikus Losbergs, who went 14-10 overall as a freshman and 8-3 in league play exclusively at the No. 1 spot.
NAU took the remaining first-place vote and was fourth in the poll. The Lumberjacks went 8-3 in league action last year, coming up short of reaching its second straight championship match and falling 4-1 to Idaho in the semifinals. NAU returns a pair of sophomores in Tim Handel and Lucas Taylor who played at No. 1 & No. 2 singles for the ‘Jacks last season as freshmen. Handel was 13-10 overall and 8-2 in league action while Taylor was 15-8 and 8-3. Ranked 13th in the ITA Mountain Region, Handel was an All-Big Sky first-team selection in 2016 while Taylor was honorable mention.
In the women’s poll, 2016 co-regular season champions Sac State and NAU each nabbed five first-place votes apiece but the Hornets had a slight edge in points 113-111. Two-time defending tournament champion Idaho grabbed the other two first-place nods and 106 points. Last year’s remaining tournament field rounded out the top six with Weber State (fourth, 86), Montana State (fifth, 82) and Eastern Washington (sixth, 74).
The Big Sky women’s tennis world will have some new faces heading the top three programs in the poll, with three of the last four Coaches of the Year departing in the offseason.
Constant tennis powerhouse Sacramento State was picked first in the poll for the 15th straight year dating back to 2003. Sac State had another impressive streak snapped last season, as Idaho topped them in the semifinals to prevent the Hornets from reaching their 15th-straight championship match. But nonetheless, Sac State has still been dominant in this league with a 10-1 record last season to improve to 133-4 in Big Sky matches dating back to 2001.
The Hornets had a league-high five players earn all-conference honors in 2016, with four of those back. Leading the charge is Alina Soltanici, a first-team selection the past two seasons who went 16-7 overall and 9-2 in league play at No. 1 singles. Also returning is first-team selection Ana Loaiza Esquivias, one of three players in the league to go 11-0 in conference play last year. Deimante Bulatovaite has picked up All-Big Sky honors in two straight seasons, most recently with a second-team recognition.
NAU was second in the poll after a stellar 2016 campaign with a regular season title while handing Sac State its lone regular season loss in conference play. The Lumberjacks went 10-1 in the Big Sky before an injury caused them to be shorthanded in a championship loss to Idaho. NAU returns a pair of first-team selections in Hanneke Lodewijks and Blanka Szavay, who stepped up big as newcomers last year going 14-4 overall at No. 1 doubles. Lodewijks was 8-2 in league action last year at No. 1 singles, while Szavay went 10-1 on court No. 2.
Idaho continued to establish itself as a dynasty in Big Sky tennis, knocking off both regular season champions on the way to its second straight tournament title. The Vandals were 9-2 in league play and 19-9 overall in 2016, and have singlehandedly put a stop to two coveted Sac State streaks including consecutive championships and championship appearances. Idaho is led by 2016 Big Sky MVP Marianna Petrei, who bursted onto the scene as a freshman with a 22-3 overall record and an unblemished 11-0 mark in conference play while dropping just six sets all season. Idaho also returns second-team selection Maria Tavares.
The top six men’s and women’s teams from the regular season will advance to the 2017 Big Sky Championship, which will be held April 28-30th at the Gold River Racquet Club in Gold River, Calif.
| 2017 Big Sky Conference Men's Preseason Tennis Polls |
| Rank. School |
Points (First-Place Votes) |
| 1. Idaho |
110 (5) |
| 2. Weber State |
105 (6) |
| 3. Sacramento State |
99 |
| 4. Northern Arizona |
98 (1) |
| 5. Montana |
93 |
| 6. Montana State |
61 |
| 7. Eastern Washington |
54 |
| 8. Idaho State |
53 |
| 9. Portland State |
50 |
| 10. Northern Colorado |
37 |
| 11. North Dakota |
18 |
| 12. Southern Utah |
14 |
| 2017 Big Sky Conference Women's Preseason Tennis Polls |
| Rank. School |
Points (First-Place Votes) |
| 1. Sacramento State |
113 (5) |
| 2. Northern Arizona |
111 (5) |
| 3. Idaho |
106 (2) |
| 4. Weber State |
86 |
| 5. Montana State |
82 |
| 6. Eastern Washington |
74 |
| 7. Portland State |
58 |
| T8. Idaho State |
44 |
| T8. Northern Colorado |
44 |
| 10. Montana |
42 |
| 11. Southern Utah |
18 |
| 12. North Dakota |
14 |