The Boise State men’s tennis team currently sits at a 5-5 overall record and are 2-1 at home.
The teams’ play speaks louder than their current .500 record, given the talent that they have competed against, including teams like the University of Washington and Baylor University, both of whom are still undefeated, and Brigham Young University (BYU).
The Broncos began the 2022 season on the road for their first five matches where they went 2-3 in that span, including a recent stint in Utah where they split wins against the University of Utah Utes and the BYU Cougars, for their first win in Provo since the 2014 season.
The stout competition faced early on in the year has prepared them for the coming months.
“We have played tough competition already, but we have started to understand the right things to do and I believe we are getting better every match,” said freshman Pedro Liborio.
Liborio himself has been a pivotal part of the team’s overall success this season. The Portugal native holds a 4-4 singles record and a 2-3 doubles record, and is on his way to being named Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Week three out of the seasons’ first five weeks.
“For me personally, I believe our match against BYU was my best play of the year,” Liborio said. “I was able to take the singles point and win in four straight sets against a very good opponent. Victories like [that] get your confidence up which is very beneficial.”
The team’s best match has to be their Feb. 6 match against the University of North Dakota. Boise State sweeped in every single and doubles match that day. The commanding win also pushed the team back to a winning record.
Last season the Broncos finished with a solid record of 17-3. Therefore, this season’s expectations were high. Though 5-5 at the moment and with a younger group on the roster this year, head coach Beck Roghaar has been pleased by his teams’ performance.
“Overall, I believe that we have grown week to week,” Roghaar said. “We have a great group of guys here that care about each other’s performance, and we all support each other. I am fine with where we are now. We just need to finish matches and I think we will be okay.”
The teams’ next five games are all at home, and as the leniency of fan capacity grows, the Broncos are confident going into this next stage of the year, regardless of the stiff competition.
“It is not the same excitement to our matches without the crowd,” said senior Simon Arca Costas. “Last year we of course played with no fans, and at times it did not feel like you were playing at home. Now with the crowd cheering for us, it gives us the extra motivation that we need.”
Montana State highlights their five-game home stand as the Bobcats are 7-1 on the season and are riding a six-game winning streak.
“We understand we have difficult matchups coming up with Montana State and Loyola Marymount [who] are also very talented, but with how we have been playing this year and the team spirit we have this year, we are confident,” Arca Costas said. “We are there to pick each other up and I think that is going to help us down the road.”
Next, the Broncos will take on Montana State at Boise State’s Appleton Tennis Center, Friday March 4.
