Braxton Gregory
Sports Editor
POCATELLO, Idaho — The Idaho State men’s tennis team delivered a dominant performance Sunday afternoon, shutting out Sacramento State 7-0 at Reed Gym to earn its first Big Sky Conference victory of the season.
The Bengals, now 6-6 overall and 1-1 in conference play, controlled the match from start to finish. They secured the doubles point with decisive wins at the No. 1 and No. 2 positions and carried that momentum into singles, where they won all six matches to complete the sweep. The victory came after a tough loss in their conference opener against Montana the previous week.
“It was a great team effort,” head coach Oliver Good said. “It was highlighted by coming out really strong in the doubles, which set up the rest of the day for us.”
Idaho State set the tone early in doubles play, with De Pellegrin and Victor Sklenka dominating Sacramento State’s Gur Libal and Henry Lamchinniah 6-1 at No. 1. At No. 2, Jowan Rawson and Quentin Lamothe followed with a 6-2 win over Nick Whitehead and Martin Duris. With the doubles point already secured, Luka Vujacic and Sam Wensley’s match at No. 3 went unfinished, with Idaho State trailing 3-5.
Holding a 1-0 lead, the Bengals carried their momentum into singles play. Sklenka was the first to finish, posting a 6-2, 6-2 win over Lamchinniah at No. 3. Rawson followed with an equally dominant performance, blanking Nick Bowles 6-0 in the first set and securing a 6-0, 6-2 victory.
De Pellegrin, playing at No. 1 singles, faced a tough battle. He dropped the first set in a tiebreak, 7-6, but responded with a strong second set, winning 6-2, and finished off Libal in the third set, 6-0, to seal the victory and put the Bengals ahead 4-0.
Lamothe continued the Bengals’ dominance with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Hayden Rand at No. 4. Wensley and Vujacic then took their matches to third-set super tiebreakers. Wensley edged Martin Duris 7-5, 4-6, 10-7, while Vujacic rallied from a 6-3 first-set loss to defeat David Dai 6-1 in the second and clinch a 10-4 win in the tiebreak.
The sweep evens Idaho State’s record at 6-6 overall and improves to 1-1 in Big Sky play. The Bengals will look to build on the momentum from Sunday’s dominant performance as they continue the conference season. Good emphasized that maintaining the level of intensity shown in this match will be crucial as the team moves forward. The Bengals’ strong doubles play and sweeping effort in singles displayed their potential as they prepare for the challenges ahead.
For dedicated Idaho State fan Easton Colvin, the victory was a welcome sight. “Tennis is something that isn’t highly publicized, but my reaction to the sweep is pleasant—it’s very nice to see,” Colvin said. “There have been a lot of shining moments in each sport, and more fans are showing up for bigger games.”
Colvin’s comments reflect the growing support for Idaho State athletics, with fans increasingly turning out to watch teams across different sports. As the Bengals continue to perform well, both in tennis and other programs, the atmosphere around ISU athletics has started to feel more energized, contributing to a rising sense of pride within the community.