In their first match in over 300 days, Boise State women’s tennis came out firing on all cylinders led by a group of freshmen. The Broncos took on the Idaho State Bengals in the first match of the day and the Lewis-Clark State Warriors in the second.
“347 days is a long time and I think that was definitely on our minds,” said Head Coach Beck Roghaar. “But I think what it’s about is what we’ve been doing over those last 347 days to prepare ourselves for right now. I felt proud of our team coming in because we felt prepared, and even though the nerves were going to be there, we were all really amped to play.”
The day started on court one with redshirt freshman Joana Baptista and freshman Shauna Heffernan coming from behind to win their match 6-2. Redshirt freshman Holly Stewart and freshman Pauline Ernstberger played and won their doubles match 6-2 as well. The wins put the Broncos up 2-0 heading into singles play.
True-freshman Pauline Ernstberger won her match 2-0 in a game one, 6-0 shutout and 6-2 victory. Ana Conde Vendrell didn’t let up for the Broncos, winning her match and giving Boise State a 5-0 lead and securing a Bronco win.
“I think that’s really a testament to the culture of our program where the players understand what it takes to come out and be ready to go for our season,” Roghaar said. “It builds a lot of confidence to start off the year with some wins and we’re looking forward to doing more of that along the way this season.”
The Broncos did not show any signs of fatigue heading into their second match of the day. Their doubles teams continued to dominate putting the Broncos up 3-0 in doubles play. The singles kept up the pace shutting out the warriors in a 7-0 victory.
All three true-freshmen were able to earn their first collegiate win for the Broncos on Saturday.
“Our three freshmen coming out and getting their first action was phenomenal,” Roghaar said. “They’re as good as advertised and we’re super excited about their futures and how they’re going to contribute and all they’ve brought to the team already.”
Boise State women’s tennis will play host to Brigham Young University Feb. 12, and Montana Feb. 14, hoping to keep their undefeated season alive.
