-
1 of 10
-
2 of 10
-
3 of 10
-
4 of 10
-
5 of 10
-
6 of 10
-
7 of 10
-
8 of 10
-
9 of 10
-
10 of 10
Men’s tennis eyes four-peat
Archive
Comments
Story
The Boise State men’s tennis team has experienced as many highs and lows as Head Coach Greg Patton has ever seen in his career. The Broncos have won 11 consecutive matches heading into this weekend’s Western Athletic Conference Championships. That winning streak hasn’t come without some tribulations, however.
“In life, every step you take, you have got to get stronger,” Patton said Sunday after the Broncos’ season finale at home. “You learn. You have to be resilient. You have to withstand adversity.”
BSU is 21-10 this season. The Broncos have only managed a 2-6 record on the road this spring, however, which gives Patton room for concern with the WAC Championships being held in Las Cruces, N.M.
The Broncos won’t just have to overcome its road woes. They will also be looking for redemption in case of a possible rematch with Fresno State. BSU fell to the Bulldogs, 2-4, on Feb. 24.
Patton said all that is behind the Broncos now; their focus is now on bringing home another WAC Championship.
“We’ve won three [championships] in a row but we want to make it four,” Patton said.
One of the biggest factors working against the Broncos’ odds at doing so has been the weather in Boise this spring. BSU has been very limited in the amount of time it has been able to play outside this season.
The Broncos were even forced to move their last two home duals of the season, last Sunday, to the BOAS Indoor Tennis Complex. Patton said he is a little concerned about the lack of practice outdoors, but he doesn’t think it will be a factor in the team’s success.
“We’ll get to practice out doors [this week],” Patton said. “We’ll practice outdoors rain or shine.”
And at the end of the day, BSU is overflowing with confidence with its current trend of success. Last Sunday the Broncos made quick work of the Big Sky Conference champions, University of California-Santa Barbara, 7-0 and Weber State University 6-1.
“This is kind of like the first round of ‘Dance with the Stars,’” Patton said about Sunday’s matches. “We did the right dance moves. The music was good. The dancing was good. We’re excited. We played good."
JAKE GARCIN
Sports Editor
