Boise State Falls to Arizona in NCAA Opening Round

Friday, May 3

Tucson, Ariz.

2 p.m. MT

Boise State

Arizona

Pre-match group huddle before the San Diego State match, March 29, 2024

5/3/2024 6:42:00 PM | Men's Tennis

Box Score

By: Courtesy: Boise State Athletics

TUCSON, Ariz. – Boise State men's tennis came up short Friday afternoon in Tucson, Ariz., falling 4-0 to ninth-ranked Arizona in the NCAA Championship's first round.

Boise State battled hard in a very competitive doubles point that saw all three matches go to tiebreakers before Arizona pulled it out 2-0 with wins at the No. 1 and 2 positions.

The Wildcats extended their lead to 3-0 with the first singles victories on courts two and five.

The decisive match was at No. 6 single where Arizona's Nick Lagaev out lasted John Chin 6-4, 6-4 to clinch the match for the Wildcats.

The other three singles matches were abandoned when Arizona clinched the win. Boise State's Sam Sippel was leading No. 1 singles 7-6(3), 2-3, while the other two were early in the third set.

Quotables

"Great season for the fellas," said head coach Luke Shields. "I thought we fought hard today against a great team. All three doubles came down to the wire. We kept our composure and were in the singles matches, too. Big shoutout to our four seniors who had phenomenal leadership all year. They led us today, and JL (Jan Lucca Marquardt) and Sam were going toe to toe with two of the better players in the country."
"This season is a big step forward for this program," Shields said. "We showed that we can play with anyone in the country. Next year, we will build and breakthrough on the national stage! Thanks to all the staff, donors, and fans for making this a remarkable journey for these young men this year!"
"Congrats to an Arizona team that has a lot of Boise State connections," said Shields. "They are having the best year in their history and have a chance to go deep in this tournament."

Notables

Boise State closes the season 20-11 overall.
This was the second consecutive year that the Broncos lost to the Arizona Wildcats in the opening round of the NCAA Championship.
This was also the second time in two years the Boise State alumni Luke and Clancy Shields led their teams against each other as head coaches in the NCAA tournament.
This was the 20th time Boise State has participated in the NCAA Championship.

What's Next

The loss to Arizona marks the end of the season for the Broncos.

Results

NCAA Championship, First Round
Tucson, Ariz., May 3, 2024

No. 9 Arizona (25-3) def. No. 58 Boise State (20-11)
Doubles (Order of finish: 2,1)

#46 Colton Smith and Jay Friend (ARIZ) def. Jan Lucca Marquardt and Sam Sippel (BSU) 7-6(2)
Herman Hoeyeraal and Eric Padgham (ARIZ) def. Jett Middleton and Caden Moortgat (BSU) 7-6(4)
Sasha Rozin and Gustaf Strom (ARIZ) vs. John Chin and James Van Herzeele (BSU) 6-6 (1-2) DNF