BOX SCORE - PDF | HTML

GOLD RIVER, Calif. — The Portland State women's tennis team made its debut in the Big Sky Championships in style Friday, as they beat fifth-seeded Montana State 4-2 in a quarterfinal match at Spare Time Tennis Courts.
 
With the win, which came in the Vikings' first-ever match at the conference tournament, the fourth-seeded Vikings (10-6 6-3 Big Sky) advance to the Big Sky semifinals, where they'll face top-seeded Montana Saturday, April 26, at 10 a.m. (PT).
 
The Vikings beat the Bobcats (9-11, 6-4 Big Sky) behind strong production from the bottom of its singles lineup, and a come-from-behind doubles-point win. The Vikings swept the singles matches at lines 4-6, after winning the doubles point with wins at No. 1 and 2 doubles.
 
"We talk about being a family all the time and this was a true family win today," PSU head coach Jay Sterling said. "Those who lost in doubles won in singles. It's been our M.O. this year, when some players lose, others step up."
 
The Vikings' win in doubles came after PSU's No. 1 doubles team of juniors Dané Vorster and Megan Govi came back from an early 5-2 deficit to the Bobcats' Paulina Lopez and Jessica Brycki. Vorster and Govi won six of the final seven games of the match after going down 5-2, giving them the 8-6 win.
 
"It was all about positivity," Govi said. "Dané and I came out and we didn't play our best doubles at the beginning. Bu we just kept believing and stayed in the match mentally."
 
Vorster and Govi's comeback win clinched the doubles point for the Vikings, after the teams split their matches at the other two doubles positions.
 
Senior Marina Todd and freshman Sabina-Elena Preda won the Vikings' other match in doubles, as they withstood a comeback from the Bobcats' Laura Middel and Ellie Crum to win 8-6 at No. 2 doubles. Middel and Crum had won 12 straight matches going into their match against Todd and Preda Friday, but had that streak snapped as Todd and Preda handed them their first loss since Feb. 15. Additionally, Todd and Preda became just the second Big Sky team to beat Middel and Crum in doubles this season, as Middel and Crum had been 9-1 against Big Sky opponents before Friday.
 
"I knew if we could get a win at No. 2 doubles that it would be a big emotional blow to Montana State," Sterling said. "That was like cutting the head of the snake off and we did it."
 
The Vikings' victory in doubles helped lead the team into singles, too, as it has all season. No Big Sky team has been able to beat the Vikings this season after the Vikings won the doubles point, and Friday's match was no different. The Bobcats made things interesting with wins at No. 1 and 2 singles, but the bottom of the Vikings' singles lineup came through for the team to close out the Bobcats.
 
Middel beat Vorster 6-3, 6-1 at No. 1 singles to even the match at 1-1 temporarily, but Govi followed quickly with a 6-2, 6-2 win over the Bobcats' Wena Tsan at No. 4 to put the Vikings back up, 2-1.
 
The Bobcats evened the match again at 2-2 with Lopez's 6-0, 7-6 (1) win at No. 2, but sophomore Ayaka Terakawa followed with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Brycki.
 
Junior Alexa McDonald then closed out the match for the Vikings with a 7-5, 6-3 win over the Bobcats' Molly Crum at No. 5.
 
"The whole crowd came over to my court [at the end], so I knew it was coming down to me," McDonald said. "I knew I had to give it my all and that the hard work all season would pay off."
 
McDonald's win came as the Bobcats were mounting a comeback at No. 3 singles, putting the fate of the dual in question if she didn't close it out at No. 5.
 
"This is what college tennis is all about," McDonald said. "This is what everybody on the team has worked for. I just knew that when it came to me I had to close it out for my team."
 
McDonald has now won four straight matches for the Vikings, tying Govi for the longest singles winning streak on the team. The Vikings as a team, meanwhile, take a five-match winning streak into Saturday's semifinals against Montana (15-7, 9-0 Big Sky), and have won eight of their past 10 matches overall.
 
The Vikings' match against the Grizzlies will be their first against the Big Sky regular-season champions this season, as the two teams' regular-season match in Missoula, Mont., on March 2 was cancelled due to severe winter weather in the area.
 
"We had noting to lose tomorrow," Sterling said. "All the pressure is on Montana because everybody expects them to win. I'm fine with that because we can just go out and play fearless, and this team fearless is scary."
 
The teams will play the match outdoors at the Gold River Racquet Club, pending weather in the area improves. The Vikings were supposed to play the Bobcats at Gold River Racquet Club, too, but the match was moved indoors due to rainy weather throughout the day Friday.


Portland State 4, Montana State 2
Apr 25, 2014 at Gold River, Calif. (Spare Time Tennis Courts) 

Singles competition

1. MIDDEL, Laura (MSU) def. VORSTER, Dane (PSU) 6-3, 6-1

2. LOPEZ, Paulina (MSU) def. TODD, Marina (PSU) 6-0, 7-6 (0-1)

3. CRUM, Ellie (MSU) vs. PREDA, Sabina-Elena (PSU) no result

4. GOVI, Megan (PSU) def. TSAN, Wena (MSU) 6-2, 6-2

5. MCDONALD, Alexa (PSU) def. CRUM, Molly (MSU) 7-5, 6-3

6. TERAKAWA, Ayaka (PSU) def. BRYCKI, Jessica (MSU) 7-5, 6-4

Doubles competition

1. VORSTER, Dane/GOVI, Megan (PSU) def. LOPEZ, Paulina/BRYCKI, Jessica (MSU) 8-6

2. TODD, Marina/PREDA, Sabina-Elena (PSU) def. MIDDEL, Laura/CRUM, Ellie (MSU) 8-6

3. TSAN, Wena/CRUM, Molly (MSU) def. MCDONALD, Alexa/TERAKAWA, Ayaka (PSU) 8-4

Match Notes

Montana State 9-11, 6-4

Portland State 10-6, 6-3

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