University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Sunday, February 18
Greeley, CO
2:00 pm
University of Northern Colorado
1
vs
6
University of Idaho
Vandals Steal Match from @UNCO_MensTennis
2/18/2018 6:11:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Connor Finerty Wins in Singles at No. 1
GREELEY, Colo. - The defending Big Sky tournament champion Idaho Vandals proved too much for the Bears to handle and they fell 6-1 on Sunday afternoon at Work Out West Fitness Center. The Bears trailed 1-0 after the Vandals captured two of three doubles matches. Then in singles, Connor Finerty was the only winner for UNC, despite both Kyle Pease and Michael Kritzinger forcing deciding sets at No. 2 and No. 3 respectively.
HOW IT HAPPENED
In doubles, Idaho took advantage of every opportunity and put away Michael Kritzinger and Nick Wade at No. 3. Then a close set at No. 1 was open up by the Vandals when Connor Finerty's serve was broken to give Idaho a 4-3 advantage. Idaho's No. 1 doubles team of Carlos Longhi Neto and Mark Kovacs were ranked No. 36 nationally by the ITA among Division I teams as of February 7.
With the team point decided, No. 2 doubles played on. Tommy Smalley and Kyle Pease took advantage in the final two games and made no unforced mistakes en-route to a 7-5 set win.
In singles, No. 1 Connor Finerty won the first set by neutralizing Kovacs' serve and moving him around the court. Finerty got off to a strong start in the first two games, pushing Kovacs behind the baseline on a consistent basis. He continued the momentum into the second set and Kovacs was unable to gain back control.
No. 2 Kyle Pease made more mistakes than his opponent in the first set, losing 6-4. He came storming back in the second, playing much better tennis to tie the match but was unable to grasp more than one game in the third.
No. 4 Nick Wade utilized strong footwork in his match against Guilhermi Scarpelli but after winning the first set, he lost the second and failed to win a game in the third. The win at this position for the Vandals gave them the four points they needed to put away the Bears.
UP NEXT
Sunday's match marked the end of Northern Colorado's six-match homestand. They went 3-3 over the stretch. The Bears (5-4, 1-2 Conf.) begin the first of four road matches next week when they take on Seattle University on February 23 at 12 pm. Idaho (2-3, 2-0 Conf.) plays Weber State next on February 25. The Vandals have now defeated the Bears three straight seasons.
Scores
Doubles
1. ID (Kovacs, Longhi Neto) def. UNC (King, Finerty) 6-3
2. UNC (Pease, Smalley) vs. ID (Scarpelli, Coutinho) 7-5
3. ID (Santibanez, Fonseca) def. UNC (Wade, Kritzinger) 6-1
Singles
1- UNC (Connor Finerty) def. ID (Mark Kovacs) 6-4, 6-2
2- ID (Carlos Longhi Neto) def. UNC (Kyle Pease) 6-4, 3-6, 6-1
3- ID (Guilhermi Scarpelli) def. UNC (Nick Wade) 3-6, 6-3, 6-0
4- ID (Felipe Fonseca) def. UNC (Michael Kritzinger) 6-4, 7-5
5- ID (Lucas Coutinho) def. UNC (Tommy Smalley) 6-3, 7-5
6- ID (Estiban Santibanez) def. UNC (Alex Exsted) 4-6, 6-4, 10-3
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2) Singles (1,4,2,3,5,6)
Time of the match: 3 hrs. 30 min.
HOW IT HAPPENED
In doubles, Idaho took advantage of every opportunity and put away Michael Kritzinger and Nick Wade at No. 3. Then a close set at No. 1 was open up by the Vandals when Connor Finerty's serve was broken to give Idaho a 4-3 advantage. Idaho's No. 1 doubles team of Carlos Longhi Neto and Mark Kovacs were ranked No. 36 nationally by the ITA among Division I teams as of February 7.
With the team point decided, No. 2 doubles played on. Tommy Smalley and Kyle Pease took advantage in the final two games and made no unforced mistakes en-route to a 7-5 set win.
In singles, No. 1 Connor Finerty won the first set by neutralizing Kovacs' serve and moving him around the court. Finerty got off to a strong start in the first two games, pushing Kovacs behind the baseline on a consistent basis. He continued the momentum into the second set and Kovacs was unable to gain back control.
No. 2 Kyle Pease made more mistakes than his opponent in the first set, losing 6-4. He came storming back in the second, playing much better tennis to tie the match but was unable to grasp more than one game in the third.
No. 4 Nick Wade utilized strong footwork in his match against Guilhermi Scarpelli but after winning the first set, he lost the second and failed to win a game in the third. The win at this position for the Vandals gave them the four points they needed to put away the Bears.
UP NEXT
Sunday's match marked the end of Northern Colorado's six-match homestand. They went 3-3 over the stretch. The Bears (5-4, 1-2 Conf.) begin the first of four road matches next week when they take on Seattle University on February 23 at 12 pm. Idaho (2-3, 2-0 Conf.) plays Weber State next on February 25. The Vandals have now defeated the Bears three straight seasons.
Scores
Doubles
1. ID (Kovacs, Longhi Neto) def. UNC (King, Finerty) 6-3
2. UNC (Pease, Smalley) vs. ID (Scarpelli, Coutinho) 7-5
3. ID (Santibanez, Fonseca) def. UNC (Wade, Kritzinger) 6-1
Singles
1- UNC (Connor Finerty) def. ID (Mark Kovacs) 6-4, 6-2
2- ID (Carlos Longhi Neto) def. UNC (Kyle Pease) 6-4, 3-6, 6-1
3- ID (Guilhermi Scarpelli) def. UNC (Nick Wade) 3-6, 6-3, 6-0
4- ID (Felipe Fonseca) def. UNC (Michael Kritzinger) 6-4, 7-5
5- ID (Lucas Coutinho) def. UNC (Tommy Smalley) 6-3, 7-5
6- ID (Estiban Santibanez) def. UNC (Alex Exsted) 4-6, 6-4, 10-3
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2) Singles (1,4,2,3,5,6)
Time of the match: 3 hrs. 30 min.
Players Mentioned
Wednesday, May 13
Friday, January 18
Tuesday, January 09
Tuesday, April 18
