The Weber State men’s and women’s tennis teams officially completed a terrific season this last month, as both teams improved their win total from 2017, and participated in the Big Sky Conference Championship tournament.
The men’s tennis team finished the season with a 12–10 record overall, but boasted a strong 8–3 record in Big Sky Conference play. In the Big Sky Championship, they won their first match against Portland State, 4–3.
Weber State then moved on to a second round matchup against the Idaho State Vandals, falling 4–0.
“It was a great season with seven Big Sky wins in a row to end the season,” said Brad Ferreira, director of tennis and men’s head coach. “We just did not have enough today against a very strong Idaho team.”
The Wildcats were led by senior Stefan Cooper and sophomore Kris Van Wyk, each were named to the Men’s Singles All-Conference First Team list.
Cooper was listed at the no. 1 spot for the ’Cats this season, and finished with an 11–10 overall singles record, and went 8–3 in Big Sky Conference play.
Van Wyk finished the season with an impressive 13–6 record overall and Big Sky with an 8–3 record. Adding in his doubles matches, Van Wyk produced 23 total wins for the Wildcats, the most on the team.
The women’s team rebounded from a 4–16 season in 2016-17, with an impressive 11–14 record overall, and a 5–6 record in conference play.
The women’s team started the Big Sky Tournament with a come from behind victory over Eastern Washington. With the both teams tied 3–3, the victory hinged on sophomore Morgan Dickason. Dickason was up 5–4 in the third set and came up with the final point to take a 5–7, 6–2, 6–4 victory over her opponent.
The Wildcats then moved on to face the tournaments number one seed, Northern Arizona University. With a season record of 19–3, NAU came in with the best record in the Big Sky and heavy favorites. While the ‘Cats would fight hard, NAU secured the victory 4–0, and the season came to an end.
“I am so proud of my team’s effort and improvement over this past year,” women’s coach Mark Roberts said. “We had a rough season last year where we lost a lot of close matches, but we grew from the experience and came back much tougher.”
The women’s team was led by junior Caitlin Herb who finished with a 14–24 record, the most wins on the team. She played most of her time this season as the no. 1.
Herb also partnered with freshman Patty Hou, and together they received an Honorable Mention in the Big Sky in doubles. The pair finished 9–11 overall on the season, with an impressive 7–3 record in the Big Sky.
“I am so excited to start up again in the fall,” Roberts said. “I push them hard and I love how they never quit and keep coming back for more. A special shout out to my team; you are all great warriors and I can’t wait for August 2018. Go Wildcats!”
