DENVER – Idaho junior men’s tennis player Marius Cirstea earned the Western Athletic Conference men’s tennis Athlete of the Week honors Monday after a demanding three matches over the weekend.

Cirstea, a junior from Bucharest, Romania, went 2-1 at No. 1 singles and 1-1 at No. 1 doubles last week, as the Vandals went 1-2 as a team. Cirstea defeated Missouri-Kansas City’s Nino Hasandedic 6-2, 6-1, in his first match on Saturday, while adding a victory in doubles play during the first dual of a doubleheader. In the second dual of the day, he fell 7-5, 7-5, in a tight match vs. Oregon’s Alex Rovello in singles. Cirstea rebounded on Sunday, dropping Portland’s Michael HuKwo, 6-4, 6-7, 7-6, in No. 1 singles.

“His match at No. 1 against University of Portland really shows the mental strides that Marius has made especially after the very physically demanding weekend of tennis he had already had,” Idaho coach Jeff Beaman said.

The honor is the first of the season and second of his career for Cirstea. The No. 56 Vandals will return to action when the visit Gonzaga on Feb. 3.