Sunday, 05/01/2011

When your life becomes embraced with sports and coaching, you have to accept the losses with the victories, the lows and highs, the valleys and the mountains.  You have to acknowledge that sense of magic, awe and wonder and the fact that things happen completely out of your control.  You have to embrace and relish the nerves, the ectasy and the agony of athletic endeavors. The beauty of sports is about the competition with that sense of urgency and how it makes one feel so alive and vibrant.  Even though sports can be so incredibly fickle and can take you on a rollercoaster from feelings of elation to despair (or vice versa) in a manner of seconds we are always still drawn to its intoxicating and romantic advances.  

If you missed our WAC semifinal loss 4-3 loss to Fresno State, you missed a classic of all epics in the storied rivalry of Boise State and Fresno State.  This five hour athletic conflict witnessed by over 400 emotionally drained fans contained gripping drama, seismic momentum swings, controversy, magnificient athleticism, singing , chanting,  awe and wonder. 
It was a hand wrenching and heart lifting match that I know all of us who were there will never forget.
Our freshmen and sophomore laden team may have lost the match, but I honestly believe that this  match was the sunrise of a new  Boise State Tennis Dynasty.  We had two freshmen (Andy Bettles and Nathan Sereke) fighting for our lives and who were on the brink of victory before the crevice of defeat engulfed them.  Everyone on our team will be returning for next year, and the battle scars of this season's  matches are worth their weight in gold.  I can see each and every player on our team coming back like a grizzly bear who has just awoken from hibernation searching for their lost cubs.

My greatest feeling of the match is one of pride, for our guys fought to the final ball and in many ways finished strong.   Hats off to Damian Hume, Filipp Pogostkin, and Jeff Mullen who brought home  singles victories to have our team in  kissing range of the WAC Championship. Our three freshmen,(Bettles, Sereke, and Sears) have grown into seasoned veterans this season and found themselves in a movie action thriller with nerve wracking twists. Five of the eight sets that our three freshmen  played were decided in"ever so close" tiebreakers.  You had to be there to be able to see Nathan break serve  when his Fresno State opponent was serving for the match. (This break got him into the 3rd set tiebreaker in which he led 5-3 before he gallently fell.)  You had to be there as Andy Bettles played his heart out to take a 4-1 lead  in the 3rd set and then he had to ward off the magnificient play of the Fresno player who made a heroic comeback to win the match. (The level of the play was professional level tennis.) You had to be there to see Jeff Mullen come back from a first set deficit to win the match with his serve booming.
In the bottom of my heart, I know that to be denied the Conference Championship will catapult our team to greater heights next season.  There is nothing better than a searing loss like this that can mold a more hardened and resolved team.

Clancy and I are so grateful to the hundreds of  fans who came and made it such an exhilirating and exciting celebration of college tennis.  The crowd support still resonates and lessens the pain of the loss.

We will be wrapping up the season with our banquet on Thursday evening at the Beautiful Stueckel Sky Box.  Cost for the banquet is $25.  If you would like to sponsor a student athlete for the Banquet we glady accept any and all donations.  Please contact Teresa Apsey at tapsey@boisestate.edu or call 208  426-5749.

Boise State Drops 4-3 Heartbreaker to Fresno State in WAC Semifinals

BOISE, Idaho (4/30/2011) - Boise State University and Fresno State battled through a classic collegiate men’s tennis match Saturday night which the Bulldogs won 4-3 in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals at the Appleton Tennis Center in Boise. After dropping the doubles point the Broncos rallied early in the singles competition to take the lead with victories by Damian Hume and Filipp Pogostkin. The contest was tight throughout with Fresno State rallying for the victory on the final singles match of the night.
Fresno State won the doubles point which began by a 8-3 win at the number one doubles by Rikus de Villiers and Remi Boutillier. After dropping the number one doubles, Boise State rallied with a 8-1 victory at the number three position by Andrew Bettles and Filipp Pogostkin. With the doubles competition tied at one apiece the decisive win came from Fresno State’s Francis Alcantara and Jean-Charles Diame with a 8-5 victory over Boise State’s Jeff Mullen and Nathan Sereke at the number two doubles for the key team point.
Down 1-0 heading into the singles portion of the competition, Boise State rallied early with two straight set wins to take a 2-1 lead. It began with Damian Hume’s dominating 6-2, 6-3 victory over the Bulldogs’ Rikus de Villiers at the number one singles to tie the match at one point apiece. Soon after, the Broncos took the lead on Pogostkin’s win at the number four position over Francis Alcantara by the score of 6-3, 6-3.

Fresno State rallied to tie the match at 2-2 on Jean-Charles Diame’s 7-6, 6-3 victory over the Broncos’ Scott Sears at the number three singles.

Boise State then regained the advantage 3-2 when Jeff Mullen rallied from one set down to win an exciting number six competition over David Ayoun 2-6, 6-4, 6-3.

The Broncos had two chances to put away the victory in the next two singles matches to be decided but fell short. The first opportunity was by Nathan Sereke at the number five singles. After dropping the first set 7-6, Sereke battled back to win the second set 6-2 before falling in a third set tiebreaker 7-6 (8-6) as the Bulldogs pulled even at three points apiece.
The final chance was up to freshman Andrew Bettles who took an early lead on a 7-6 (7-5) tiebreaker to take the first set. He then had a chance to win in straight sets but lost a second set tiebreaker 7-6 (8-6). In the third set Bettles rushed out to a 3-0 advantage before Fresno State’s Remi Boutillier rallied to win the set 6-4 and hand the Bulldogs a berth into tomorrow’s WAC Championship match against New Mexico State University.

Tomorrow’s WAC Championship between No. 2 seed New Mexico State and No. 1 seed Fresno State will take place at 12 p.m. (Mountain) at the Appleton Tennis Center at Boise State.

Boise State will now play the waiting game to see if they get an at-large bid into the NCAA National Tournament.

Match Summary
2011 Western Athletic Conference Semifinal
Boise State vs Fresno State (Apr 30, 2011)
Fresno State 4, Boise State 3
Apr 30, 2011 at Boise, Idaho (Appleton Outdoor Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. Damian Hume (BSU) def. Rikus de Villiers (FS) 6-2, 6-3
2. Remi Boutillier (FS) def. Andrew Bettles (BSU) 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (8-6), 6-4
3. Jean-Charles Diame (FS) def. Scott Sears (BSU) 7-6 (7-3), 6-3
4. Filipp Pogostkin (BSU) def. Francis Alcantara (FS) 6-3, 6-3
5. Nick Papac (FS) def. Nathan Sereke (BSU) 7-6 (7-4), 2-6, 7-6 (8-6)
6. Jeff Mullen (BSU) def. David Ayoun (FS) 2-6, 6-4, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. Rikus de Villiers/Remi Boutillier (FS) def. Damian Hume/Scott Sears (BSU) 8-3
2. Francis Alcantara/Jean-Charles Diame (FS) def. Jeff Mullen/Nathan Sereke (BSU) 8-5
3. Andrew Bettles/Filipp Pogostkin (BSU) def. David Ayoun/Siddharth Alapati (FS) 8-1
Match Notes
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (1,4,3,6,5,2)