(Lewiston, ID) Lewis-Clark State College Women’s Tennis enters its spring season this weekend with a trip south to take on NCAA Division I programs Boise State and Idaho State in Boise.
Along with roster updates and a changing schedule, one of the biggest differences for Warrior Tennis this season can be found on the sideline. Bonolo Arroyo Valenzuela (Molefe) will make her return to Lewiston as the program’s assistant coach. The reigning Warrior of the Year is poised to make an impact helping lead the program that gave her so much.
“Bonolo is a very suitable addition to the staff,” Fong said. “It may be her first season in the coaching realm, but she is very familiar with the program as someone who went through the ranks with her strong work ethic and conviction to excel. She certainly has gone through the wringer with me as a student-athlete and Tennis Center staff member. She understands the rigor and the demands of the programs. It will just be a short transition period in the first month. As a coach, I am very blessed to have the supporting cast of players, staff members and community backing to tennis in the LC Valley.”
THE ROSTER
The 2025 Warrior roster features 11 returners and two newcomers. LC State will have seniors Beatriz Lambru, Anne Mathema, Heidi Moyo and Paige Noble-Lucas leading the charge, along with April Buckingham, Gwyn Heim, Carisa Liebenberg and Rayana Shah who all saw valuable time in the starting lineup last season.
“Returners form the backbone of our programs. They keep us upright,” Fong said. “They maintain our posture in everyday activities. They are the calm before the storm. They can help right the sails.”
Shah saw the majority of her freshman season in the top singles spot where she earned four wins, along with four in the No. 2 slot. Lambru produced three wins in No. 1 singles a year ago and Moyo collected six throughout the lineup. In the fall victory against Alberta, Noble-Lucas, Liebenberg and Ana Govea each earned singles wins while the duos of Naiara Montero and Moyo, and Noble-Lucas and Heim won in doubles play.
THE SCHEDULE
LC State competed in a pair of matches in the fall with the University of Alberta out of Canada and split the weekend. The Warriors enter the main part of the season with a 1-1 record.
“The fall matches provided a reminder to the level of competition we could be facing during the season on consecutive days,” Fong said. “In some instances, we will play four matches in three days, all on the road. For our situation, being competitive ‘Road Warriors’ will be tantamount to the success of this season.”
The Warriors went 4-9 against NAIA competition last season with only one of those matches being in the LC State Tennis Center. The closest NAIA program is the College of Idaho meaning that the Warriors will have to travel often to find matches with NAIA schools. LC State will host contests with NCAA DI and DIII opponents for a large portion of the season.
LC State will face NCAA DI Boise State, Idaho State, Idaho and Montana, as well as DIII programs Whitworth and Whitman. Contests against junior colleges out of the NWAC do not count towards the Warriors’ season record but do count toward individual records.
“Due to the changing landscape of NAIA schools across the country, we have to seek NAIA opponents in the more metropolitan areas,” Fong added. “The travel experience provides the opportunity to perform on the road. You can call us the Road Warriors.”
The ‘Road Warriors’ will travel out of state to Texas, Louisiana, Alabama and Indiana during the regular season before the Great Northwest Athletic Conference tournament in Arizona in April.
“Our numerous trips will open up our eyes as to the different types of programs across the NAIA tennis map, not found in the western side of the USA,” Fong explained. “Classes will be missed but we are grateful to the instructors/professors for working with our student-athletes for class accommodations. There is something to be said about playing NAIA teams on their home turfs, and performing well in those instances.”
Warrior Women’s Tennis opens its season on Friday at Boise State.