Monday, 03/24/2014

BOISE, Idaho - The Broncos continued their hot streak Sunday afternoon and breezed past conference rival Fresno State 5-2 at the Appleton Tennis Center. The win stretches the Broncos’ win streak to six matches and puts the Broncos at 16-3 overall and 2-0 in the Mountain West.

Boise State claimed the doubles point in convincing fashion to start out the afternoon. Brian Foley and Brendan McClain blitzed Eric Komati and Alex Vakouftsis on court three to a tune of 8-1 to claim the first doubles victory. Foley and McClain’s victory was the first time the two have played together this year.

The Broncos finished the job once Andy Bettles and Thomas Tenreiro defeated Nikolas Papic and Ethan Lopez at No. 1 doubles 8-3. Boise State’s No. 2 doubles team of Garrett Patton and Nathan Sereke made it a doubles sweep for the Broncos when they finished off John Darmstaedter and Sai Kartik Nakireddi by a score of 8-6. The doubles team of Patton and Sereke still maintain a perfect 3-0 overall record on the season.

Tenreiro got back on track after a singles loss this morning and defeated Papic on court three in straight sets 6-2, 6-1 to give the Broncos a 2-0 lead in the match. Tenreiro improves to 15-9 on the year and snaps a two-match losing streak with the win.

Boise State extended its lead to 3-0 when McClain made quick work of Komati 6-3, 6-1. McClain is currently riding a ten-match winning streak and became the first Bronco to reach the 20-win mark this season as he improved to 20-6, playing the majority of his matches on court five.

Before the Broncos could put the win in the books, Fresno State notched a win at No. 4 singles when Darmstaedter defeated Patton 6-2, 7-6 (3) to make the match 3-1. Patton is now 1-1 in Mountain West play this year.

Boise State quickly regained the momentum when Nathan Sereke put the finishing touches on a well-played match on court two against Sam MacNeil and won 6-3, 6-4. Sereke’s victory gave the Broncos the victory 4-1 and added to his four-match win streak.

Brian Foley made the score 5-1 after polishing off Lopez 6-1, 6-2 on court six. Foley never trailed in the match and now stands at 8-3 in duals this season.

Bettles battled hard at No. 1 singles, but ultimately dropped the match to Nakireddi 7-5, 6-4 to make the final score of the match 5-2. The loss drops Bettles to 19-12 on the season.

The Broncos hit the road for a three-match road trip in California starting with UC Santa Barbara on March 28 at 2 p.m. mountain time.

FINAL MATCH SUMMARY
Fresno State (6-8, 1-2 MW) at No. 23 Boise State (16-3, 2-0 MW)
March 23, 2014 at Boise, Idaho (Appleton Tennis Center)

Boise State def. Fresno State, 5-2

Doubles Results
1. Bettles/Tenreiro (BSU) def. Lopez/Papic (FS), 8-3
2. Patton/Sereke (BSU) def. Darmstaedter/Kartik Nakireddi (FS), 8-6
3. Foley/McClain (BSU) def. Komati/Vakouftsis (FS), 8-1
Order of finish: 3,1,2

Singles Results
1. Sai Kartik Nakireddi (FS) def. No. 60 Andy Bettles (BSU), 7-5, 6-4
2. Nathan Sereke (BSU) def. Sam MacNeil (FS), 6-3, 6-4
3. Thomas Tenreiro (BSU) def. Nikolas Papic (FS), 6-2, 6-1
4. John Darmstaedter (FS) def. Garrett Patton (BSU), 6-2, 7-6 (3)
5. Brendan McClain (BSU) def. Eric Komati (FS), 6-3, 6-1
6. Brian Foley (BSU) def. Ethan Lopez (FS), 6-1, 6-2
Order of finish: 3,5,4,2,5,1