VANCOUVER, Wash. – Portland State won its first doubles point of the season and never looked back, pummeling the Willamette Bearcats, 6-1, in Vancouver, Wash., Sunday afternoon. The Viks went 2-0 in doubles play and 5-1 in singles to improve to 1-2 on the season.
 
PSU returned home on Sunday to compete in its first match in 2013 played at Club Green Meadows after falling to Gonzaga on Saturday.
 
Portland State seized control of the match early on with an impressive doubles display. The new No. 2 and No. 3 teams of Alec Marx and Brent Wheeler, and Antoine Bechmann and Zach Lubek tallied the two necessary doubles victories to secure the first point of the match.
 
Marx and Wheeler were the first to get on the board with a win, making quick work of Will Cooper and Mathew Dees. Bechmann and Lubek followed suit with a quick match of their own, defeating Devin Abney and Jack Schreiber, 8-3.
 
With the doubles point in tow, the Viks turned to its singles play to close out the match.
 
Connor Gilmore and Stratton Gilmore were impressive for Portland State, registering the first two singles wins of the match. Connor Gilmore cruised to a 6-2, 6-0 win from the No. 3 spot against Wexman, while Stratton Gilmore was next, defeating Dees, 6-2, 6-2. The wins gave Portland State the early 3-0 lead in the match. With the win Stratton Gilmore is now 2-1 since joining the Viks.
 
Lukas Kortus battled through a hard-fought first set against Will Cooper in the No. 2 spot, winning the frame, 7-6 (6-3). The win gave Kortus a boost as he handled Cooper in the second set, 6-3, and clinched the match for Portland State.
 
Willamette got on the board with a singles victory of their own in the No. 1 spot as Wong upset Bechmann, 6-4, 6-4, in straight sets.
 
In the No. 5 spot Lubek came out firing in the first frame, taking down Jack Schreiber, 6-2. Schreiber rebounded nicely however, taking the second, 6-1. In the third, Lubek's experience paid off, grinding out a 6-1 victory in the final frame to prevail and give the Viks a 5-1 lead.
 
In the final match of the afternoon, Wil Cochrane dispatched his opponent, Colin Yamaguchi, 6-0, 6-1, from the No. 6 spot.
 
Portland State will now have a week to work and prepare for a two-match home stand next weekend, playing Seattle on Feb. 1 and opening Big Sky play with Montana State on Feb. 2. Match time is slated for 5 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively. 
 

Singles competition

1. Wong, Joshua (WU) def. BECHMANN, Antoine (PSU) 6-4, 6-4

2. KORTUS, Lukas (PSU) def. Cooper, Will (WU) 7-6 (6-3), 6-3

3. GILMORE, Connor (PSU) def. Wexman, Sam (WU) 6-2, 6-0

4. GILMORE, Stratton (PSU) def. Dees, Mathew (WU) 6-2, 6-2

5. LUBEK, Zach (PSU) def. Schreiber, Jack (WU) 6-2, 1-6, 6-1

6. COCHRAINE, Wil (PSU) def. Yamaguchi, Colin (WU) 6-0, 6-1

 

Doubles competition

1. GILMORE, Connor/MISHRA, Abhinav (PSU) def. Wong, Joshua/Wexman, Sam (WU) 7-3

2. MARX, Alec/WHEELER, Brent (PSU) def. Cooper, Will/Dees, Mathew (WU) 8-2

3. BECHMANN, Antoine/LUBEK, Zach (PSU) def. Abney, Devin/Schreiber, Jack (WU) 8-3

 

Match Notes

Willamette 0-1

Portland State 1-2

Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (3,4,2,1,5,6)