BOX SCORE - PDF | HTML

VANCOUVER, Wash. — The Portland State women's tennis team claimed the program's first-ever win over Northern Arizona in convincing fashion Sunday, beating the Lumberjacks 6-1 at Club Green Meadows.
 
The Vikings (2-3, 1-1 Big Sky), who had been 0-13 against Northern Arizona heading into Sunday, won five of the six singles matches against the Lumberjacks (2-8, 1-1 Big Sky) and two of the three doubles matches.
 
"This is the best I've seen this team compete," PSU head coach Jay Sterling said. "It was probably one of the best competitive efforts I've seen from any team I've coached here at Portland State. Today we can announce to the conference that we're here, and we're going to compete, and we're going to contend to make the championships."
 
Portland State started the match off right, claiming the doubles point thanks to wins at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles. Senior Marina Todd and freshman Sabina-Elena Preda breezed to the win at No. 2 doubles, giving the Vikings an early lead in the chase for the doubles point with their 8-3 win over NAU's Tatum Rochin and Johanna Vang. Preda and Todd have now won three straight matches in doubles, and stand a perfect 3-0 at No. 2.
 
NAU's Sarah Maria Spruch and Jordan Denesik leveled things Sunday with an 8-7 (7-5) win over PSU's Alexa McDonald and Ayaka Terakawa at No. 3 doubles, however, but juniors Dané Vorster and Megan Govi clinched the doubles point for the Vikings with a tight, 8-6 win over NAU's Hailey Rochin and Emelia Box at No. 1.
 
Once in singles, Preda and Govi gave the Vikings a quick 3-0 lead in the dual match with straight-set wins at No. 3 and No. 4 singles. Preda beat Denesik 6-3, 6-3 at No. 3 Sunday, her third straight singles win for the Vikings and second of the weekend.
 
"I had some tough moments, but I got over them and played really well," Preda said. "I'm proud of myself and I'm proud also of this team because we're working really hard every day. We just need to continue working hard because the results will continue to come."
 
Govi, meanwhile, won a pair of tight sets against NAU's Hailey Rochin at No. 4 to win 6-4, 7-5.
 
The next three matches all went to three sets, but the Vikings came through with wins in all three to run away with the match. Vorster claimed the first of the three-set wins for the Vikings, as she came back from a set down to beat Vang 4-6, 6-2, 6-1. McDonald also came from a set down to win at No. 5, as she beat NAU's Tatum Rochin 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, while Todd rallied after Box leveled their match at a set-all at No. 2 singles to win 6-2 in the third set and claim the match, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.
 
"I've never been more pumped during a match before, but we train pretty rigorously during the week so I felt I had the advantage. I was more athletic; I could sustain my play," Todd said.
 
Additionally, Terakawa fought Spruch tough in the first set at No. 6 before falling 4-6, 1-6.
 
The Vikings will take the momentum of their win Sunday into their next match, a neutral-site matchup against Montana State-Billings Friday, Feb. 28, in Bozeman, Mont. The match will begin at 11 a.m. (MT). The Vikings will then return to Big Sky play with matches against Montana State and Montana Saturday, March 1, and Sunday, March 2.



Portland State 6, Northern Arizona 1
Feb 23, 2014 at Vancouver, Wash. (Club Green Meadows)

Singles competition

1. VORSTER, Dane (PSU) def. VANG, Johanna (NAU) 4-6, 6-2, 6-1

2. TODD, Marina (PSU) def. BOX, Emelia (NAU) 6-3, 4-6, 6-2

3. PREDA, Sabina-Elena (PSU) def. DENESIK, Jordan (NAU) 6-3, 6-3

4. GOVI, Megan (PSU) def. ROCHIN, Hailey (NAU) 6-4, 7-5

5. MCDONALD, Alexa (PSU) def. ROCHIN, Tatum (NAU) 3-6, 6-2, 6-2

6. SPRUCH, Sarah Maria (NAU) def. TERAKAWA, Ayaka (PSU) 6-4, 6-1

Doubles competition

1. VORSTER, Dane/GOVI, Megan (PSU) def. ROCHIN, Hailey/BOX, Emelia (NAU) 8-6

2. PREDA, Sabina-Elena/TODD, Marina (PSU) def. ROCHIN, Tatum/VANG, Johanna (NAU) 8-3

3. SPRUCH, Sarah Maria/DENESIK, Jordan (NAU) def. MCDONALD, Alexa/TERAKAWA, Ayaka (PSU) 8-7 (7-5)

Match Notes

Northern Arizona 2-8, 1-1

Portland State 2-3, 1-1

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

T-4:01 A-25