Boise State’s tennis team came back from
the doldrums with an electrifying 4-3 victory over #10 Alabama yesterday in the final round of
the National Team Indoor Championships.
Luke Shields battled back from a first-set defeat to win his match and
propel the Broncos to victory at a time when they needed it most.
After a
heartbreaking 4-3 defeat to #11 Illinois and a 4-0 defeat at the hands
of #3 Ohio State, Coach Greg Patton’s team
proved it could beat a top ten team.
They did so without one of the top players in school history, Kean
Feeder, who is out with an injury. After
losing the doubles point, Boise State had to win four of the six
singles matches to earn victory. They
did it in dramatic fashion.
After Alabama’s Daniel Buikema out pointed Steve Robertson at #5 singles, Clemson
transfer Paul Koenke led the rebirth by emerging victorious at #6 over Housaam
Yassine 6-1, 6-3. Clancy Shields then
came through at #2 singles by defeating Matt Thibaudeau in a hard-fought 6-3,
6-4 thriller and when Piotr Dilaj took his match at #4 over Michael Jung by
identical 6-3 counts, the spotlight was squarely on Court One, where Luke and Saketh
Myneni of the Crimson Tide were doing battle.
Myneni surprised Shields in the first set 6-4, but Skywalker came back
to dominate the final two sets 6-1, 6-3 and the Broncos had their first win
over a top ten team this year.
“I
can't express enough how ecstatic our team and the coaching staff are right
now,” Coach Patton said. “We got the monkey off our back. It is the same terrifying story that we have
had in most of matches this season. We are scrapping from behind after losing a
close doubles point to tie the score at 3-3 and then we drop the tie breaker to
lose the match. Tonight we exorcised the demons by winning the decisive point
in the 3rd set of the singles.”
”The most important aspect of this win is that our players have never given up
their faith in our dreams and goals,” he continued. “We have had to suffer
through the tie breaker heartbreakers three times this season. Our players have
learned to embrace those critical times in the matches with optimism and focus.
Tonight for we got a candy gram instead of the boot when we captured the
deciding point.”
Boise State 4, Alabama 3
Doubles
1. Thibaudeau/Buikema (Alabama) def. C. Shields/L. Shields (Boise State), 9-8(5)
2. Koenke/Roberson (Boise State) def. Myneni/Jung (Alabama), 8-6
3. Struyf/Bes (Alabama) def. Robertson/Blake Boswell (Boise State), 8-5
Alabama wins doubles point
Singles
1. Luke Shields (BOISE STATE) def. Saketh Myneni (Ala.), 4-6, 6-1, 6-3
2. Clancy Shields (BOISE STATE) def. Matt
Thibaudeau (Ala.), 6-3, 6-4
3. Sammy Struyf (Ala.) def. Brent Werbeck (BOISE STATE), 7-5, 6-1
4. Piotr Dilaj (BOISE STATE) def. Michael
Jung (Ala.), 6-3, 6-3
5. Daniel Buikema (Ala.) def. Steve Robertson (BOISE STATE), 6-1, 6-0
6. Paul Koenke (BOISE STATE) def. Housaam
Yassine (Ala.), 6-1, 6-3
Order of finish: 5, 6, 2, 4, 3, 1*
* - clinched win