yote notes - edition 4

COMING UP: Idle until Alumni Matches, 3/10, 10 a.m.

LAST WEEK: Men – at Pacific Lutheran (L 7-2), at George Fox (L 7-1), at Linfield (W 5-4); Women – at Lewis-Clark State (L 9-0), at Whitworth (L 9-0)

BIG WIN FOR COYOTE MEN: It was a win that the program needed, a win over a decade in the making – as The C of I men picked up a 5-4 victory at Linfield College on Sunday morning.  The Yotes took 2-of-3 doubles points, then split the six singles’ matches to log the win – the first victory against a four-year opponent from the Northwest since the sport was reinstated in 2009.  Chenjerai Simpson (St. John’s, Antigua / Island Acad.) won at No. 1 singles, with Thomas McMahon (Hope, Idaho / Clark Fork HS) notching a win at No. 5, and Joel Hernandez (Caldwell, Idaho / Caldwell HS) sweeping his opponent at No. 6 clinch the win.  It marked C of I’s first win against a four-year school since a victory at Colorado Christian in 2010.

GREAT TRIP FOR DOUBLES TEAMS: The Yotes took 4-of-9 doubles’ points on the trip – including a pair of wins at the top of the ladder – as Chenjerai Simpson and Mark Malmstrom (Boise, Idaho / Timberline HS) won matches at Pacific Lutheran and George Fox.  In the five matches the Coyotes lost, the doubles’ teams won at least four games in three of them.

MEN’S GAMES WON: Thomas McMahon 42, Chenjerai Simpson 36, Kenny Stark (Reno, Nev / Reno HS) 27, Mark Malmstrom 25, James Collet (Pocatello, Idaho / Pocatello HS) 23, Joel Hernandez 18, Zach Buker (Boise, Idaho / Borah HS) 10, Taylor Gordon (Pocatello, Idaho / Century HS) 1.

LADY YOTES STRUGGLE AGAINST REGION’S BEST: It was a tough weekend for the Lady Yotes, as the squad competed against the top two small college teams in the Northwest, losing 9-0 decision to NAIA nationally-ranked Lewis-Clark State and Division III regionally-ranked Whitworth.  Freshman Shae Stults (Nampa, Idaho / Columbia HS) played well at No. 2 singles on Saturday, forcing a first-set tiebreaker against Lewis-Clark State, earning a chance to play at No. 1 against Whitworth. 

WOMEN’S GAMES WON: Shae Stults 30, Cassie Low (Prineville, Ore. / Crook County HS) 13, Balbine Umutesi (Kigali, Rwanda / Mawr-Hill Acad.) 13, Tanya Greenwood (Hailey, Idaho / Wood River HS) 9, Theresa Kucera (Lewiston, Idaho / Lewiston HS) 9, Hayley Hutchings (Nampa, Idaho / Skyview HS) 6.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT: The Yotes will take two weeks away from competition, preparing for a March 10 date with the Alumni.  It will be the only tune-up for the annual Spring Break trip, this year a four-day trek through California.

ABOUT THE COACH:  Cisco Limbago is in his 27th year of coaching tennis at The C of I. A native of Waianae, Hawaii, he was a standout football player for the Coyotes, earning All-Northwest Conference honors. He is the longest tenured coach on The C of I staff.  From 1987-91, the Coyotes won four of five NAIA District titles and competed at the NAIA Championships. During the 2001 and 2005 seasons, his squad placed second at the NAIA Regional Tournament. Limbago has recorded .500-or-better marks in 18 of his 26 seasons at The C of I.  In addition to coaching at The C of I, Limbago was an elementary P.E. teacher in the Meridian School District, and has served as C of I's official scorer at basketball games for five decades. He is married to wife Mary Lou and has two children; Brandi and Dan.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more on the Coyote tennis program, head to the official homepages of C of I tennis – http://www.collegeofidaho.edu/tennis.