CHENEY, Wash. - The Eastern Washington University men's tennis team hits the road for two away matches beginning with Lewis-Clark State College this Friday, Feb. 10 at 12 p.m. Pacific Time in Lewiston, Idaho at the LCSC Tennis Center. Following the match, on Feb. 12, the Eagles take on Idaho at 10 a.m. PT in Moscow, Idaho inside the Kibbie Dome. The match against the Vandals marks EWU's first Big Sky Conference fixture as they currently sit 1-4 overall heading into the weekend.
Eastern returns to the courts after a falling to Utah State and Utah last weekend on the road, both matches ending 7-0.
KNOWING YOUR OPPONENT: Lewis-Clark
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Lewis-Clark State College Warriors hold a 2-2 overall record this season, falling to Seattle (6-1) and George Fox (5-2) while defeating Lewis-Clark Pioneers (9-0) and William Jeessup (7-0). The last time EWU faced the LCSC was in 2014, when Eastern won 7-0 at home. Overall, the Warriors lead the series 12-16 but the Eagles have a seven-match winning streak, with their last lost dating back to Feb. of 2006 in Cheney.
Kai Fong, the most successful tennis coach in the history of Lewis-Clark State College, guides the Warriors, marking his 35th year at the helm for the 2023 season. Fong restarted the women's program in 1989 after it had been a club sport for three years, and then took over the men's program the following year. In the 2022 season, Fong led his squad to an even 10-10 overall record, finishing 5-4 at home and 1-4 on the road.
KNOWING YOUR OPPONENT: Idaho
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LIVE STATS
The Eagles faced the Vandals last April in 2022 and fell 6-1 in Cheney. Idaho leads the overall series 7-34 with EWU's last victory in 2019, winning 5-2 at home. This season Idaho is 1-1 overall, defeating Seattle (6-1) and falling to Gonzaga (6-1). They face Boise State this Friday on the road before hosting Eastern Washington on Sunday.
Daniel Hangstefer leads the Vandals, entering his fifth season as the head coach of the men's tennis program. During the 2022 season, Hangstefer led Idaho to its 15th Big Sky Conference Championship and first conference title since 2017-18. Idaho spun nine-straight match wins and a 4-3 victory over Montana State in the title match to crown both the regular season and tournament champion titles. The win sealed a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the Vandals, facing off against No. 12 Texas in the first round.
Additionally, five players earned Big Sky honors, with junior Francisco Bascon and sophomore Francisco Gay headlining the conference awards. Bascon was named first team All-Big Sky in singles for the second year in a row while Gay earned Freshman of the Year. Junior Matteo Masala received his first league recognition after being named second team All-Big Sky in singles.
The Vandals finished the season with a winning 13-11 overall and 7-1 conference record, recording an undefeated 6-0 home record.
Up Next
The Eagles return home on Feb. 17 to host Whitworth at the Jim Thorpe Fieldhouse, with first serve set for 4 p.m. PT.
