POCATELLO, Idaho – The Portland State men's tennis team fell in its Big Sky Conference Opener Sunday afternoon against the Bengals of Idaho State by a score of 6-1 at Reed Gym in Pocatello, Idaho.
 
After the Vikings dropped the first doubles match of the day, Mitch Somach and Alec Marx won their doubles match by a score of 8-6 which pushed the Roman Margoulis and Abhinav Mishra match into the tiebreaker for the doubles point.
 
After pushing their doubles match to a score of 8-8, Margoulis and Mishra forced a tiebreaker but fell in the tiebreaker by a score of 7-3 giving the Bengals the doubles point.
 
Marx dropped his singles match 6-1, 6-4 to give the Bengals the 2-0 dual lead. Mishra and Somach the fell by scores of 6-1, 6-2 and 6-4, 6-4 giving the Bengals a 4-0 lead to take the dual.
 
Margoulis then won the No. 1 singles match by a scores of 6-2, 6-4 to give the Vikings their lone point of the dual. Zach Lubek lost in straight sets leaving Nick Fracchia as the only Viking left to finish.
 
Fracchia won the first set by a score of 6-4 but then dropped the second set by a score of 6-3 forcing a decisive third set. Since the dual was already decided, the match went to a first-to-10 tiebreaker. Fracchia battled hard but started to cramp up early in the tiebreaker and fell by a tiebreaking score of 10-3.
 
The Vikings will hit the road again next weekend as they head to Colorado Springs, Colo. to battle the Air Force Academy on Saturday, Feb. 11. They will then head to Greeley, Colo. to take on Big Sky opponent Northern Colorado on Sunday, Feb. 12. 

Portland State vs Idaho State Men
Feb 05, 2012 at Pocatello, Idaho
(Reed Gym)
Idaho State Men 6, Portland State 1
 
Singles competition
1. MARGOULIS, Roman (PSU) def. NORMAN, Charles (ISU) 6-2, 6-4
2. GROSS, Nate (ISU) def. MISHRA, Abhinav (PSU) 6-1, 6-2
3. STEMPIEN, Krzyzstof (ISU) def. SOMACH, Mitch (PSU) 6-4, 6-4
4. BUCKINGHAM, Dan (ISU) def. MARX, Alec (PSU) 6-1, 6-4
5. MILLER, Austin (ISU) def. FRACCHIA, Nick (PSU) 4-6, 6-3, 10-3
6. PATE, Dakota (ISU) def. LUBEK, Zach (PSU) 6-3, 6-4
 
Doubles competition
1. SOMACH, Mitch/MARX, Alec (PSU) def. NORMAN, Charles/PATE, Dakota (ISU) 8-6
2. GROSS, Nate/BUCKINGHAM, Dan (ISU) def. MARGOULIS, Roman/MISHRA, Abhinav (PSU) 9-8
3. STEMPIEN, Krzyzstof/MILLER, Austin (ISU) def. FRACCHIA, Nick/LUBEK, Zach (PSU) 8-3
 
Match Notes:
Portland State 0-4
Idaho State Men 2-4
Official: Gene Galloway