The Portland State women's tennis program completed its first season in over five years earlier this month. The Vikings' all-freshman squad earned an overall record of 6-17 and went 2-6 in Big Sky Conference play.
Despite not having a single women's tennis team member with any collegiate experience at the beginning of the season, Portland State ended the season seventh in the Big Sky. The Vikings missed qualifying for the conference tournament by one match. Overall, the Vikings went 55-83 (.399) and 17-31 (.354) against the Big Sky in singles matches. They had an overall .441 doubles winning percentage (30-38). However, Portland State only had a .292 winning percentage in conference doubles (7-17).
“I believe we exceeded expectations on our first year back in competition at the Division I level,” said Head Coach Steve Ascher. “Having six freshman on the squad, we were able to stay healthy and play many teams very close and have opportunities to win a lot of matches.”
The Vikings top winner this season was Lacey Pflibsen. She tallied an 11-12 record and went 4-4 against Big Sky competition. She went 10-12 at the singles no. 1 position. Her leadership on the court earned her way on to the All-Big Sky Conference Second Team. Pflibsen was also named Big Sky Female Athlete of the week on February 12. She earned the AOTW honor for going 2-0 on the weekend and leading Portland State to its first since the programs six-year hiatus. Pflibsen also teamed up with Molly Knox to have a 13-9 season, all at the doubles no. 1 position. The duo had Portland State's best record and winning percentage (.692).
Along with Pflibsen, the Big Sky Conference also recognized Viking Stephanie Fuchs for her excellent performance during the 2007-08 season. Fuchs was an All-Big Sky Conference honorable mention. She collected a 9-14 record on the season. She went 7-14 when playing singles no. 2 and went 1-0 at both the singles no. 1 and 3 position. She tied Pflibsen and Anya Dalkin for the team's highest winning percentage (.500), going 4-4, against conference opponents. Fuchs also produced a 12-11 record in doubles play. She went 11-11 when playing with Anya Dallkin. The Dalkin/Fuchs team went 10-9 at the doubles no. 3 and 1-2 at the no. 2 position. Fuchs also played with Pflibsen and went 1-0 at the doubles no. 1 spot.
Portland State's Anya Dalkin and Alyssa Ferry tied for the second-highest win total for the 2007-08 season. Dalkin and Ferry both totaled 10 wins on the season, however Ferry had one less loss at 10-12. Dalkin tallied a 10-13 record; she went 1-0 at the singles no. 3, 9-12 at no. 4 and 0-1 at no. 5. Ferry compiled a 1-1 record at singles no. 4 and went 9-11 at no. 5. Ferry went 5-18 in doubles with Caitlin Stocking. The twosome had a 3-17 record at doubles no. 2 and at the no. 3 spot went 2-1.
The Vikings performed best at the singles no 1 and 5 positions. Both spots amassed an 11-12 record and had a .478 winning percentage. In doubles matches, Portland State went 14-9 at no. 1.
Portland State's first victory of the season came against Big Sky foe Weber State, 4-3, on Feb. 9. The Vikings most notable win came against Utah State. Portland State previously fell to the Aggies on Mar. 9, but came back on Apr. 5 to claim victory, 5-2. The win reflected the vast improvements the Vikings had made over the courses of the season.
“Over the course of the season, I was pleased to hear the feedback from many college coaches and supporters of the program who commented on how competitive our players were and how much better they had become throughout the season,” said Ascher. “This season has offered the opportunity to build a solid foundation for the tennis program and with continued hard work we will challenge many teams in the top of the Big Sky Conference.”
For complete season statistics, click here.
