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CEDAR CITY, Utah — The Portland State men's tennis team cruised past Southern Utah, 6-1, Friday, giving the Vikings a program record-tying fourth Big Sky win this season.
 
The Vikings, who also won their second straight match Friday, improved to 4-6 in Big Sky play this season, tying the number of conference wins from the team's record 2010 season.
 
The Vikings tied the record in dominant fashion, too, as they won five of the six singles matches at the Thunderbird Tennis Courts, and won the doubles point with wins at lines two and three in doubles.
 
Sophomore Ethan Lopez led the Vikings' charge, as he set or threatened a couple of records of his own.
 
Lopez first teamed with junior Brent Wheeler to lead the Vikings to their win in doubles. Lopez and Wheeler skunked Southern Utah's Brandon Olcott and Taylor Wilko at line two, beating them 6-0. Lopez and Wheeler have now won eight Big Sky matches while going 8-1 together in doubles this season, putting them one win off tying the single-season program record.
 
Lopez then followed with a dual-clinching, 6-3, 6-1 win over Southern Utah's Dario Rios at line two in singles, giving the sophomore his program-record seventh Big Sky win this season. Lopez had tied Chris Rice, who set the record with six Big Sky wins in 2010, with his win in the Vikings' 4-3 upset of Sacramento State last week, and moved past it with his win Friday.
 
Additionally, Lopez now has 11 wins overall during the dual season, tying him for the second-best single-season total in program history.
 
Senior Stuart Tierney also recorded his 10th win overall during the dual season Friday, as he pulled out a narrow victory over Southern Utah's Ben Spencer 6-2, 5-7, 1-0 (10-8) at line one. The win gave Tierney his sixth Big Sky win this season as well, giving the senior a chance to tie Lopez for the record with one match still remaining.
 
Tierney and sophomore Nacor Ibanez also recorded their first win together in doubles, clinching the doubles point for the Vikings with their 6-2 win over Southern Utah's Dario Rios and Gino Digiancinto at line three.
 
Junior Matt Pronesti, meanwhile, posted the most dominant victory of the day at line four in singles, as he double-bageled Digiancinto 6-0, 6-0 to end a nine-match losing streak.
 
Wheeler and redshirt junior Nate Chart also snapped cold spells in Big Sky play Friday, as they pulled out their first conference wins of the season at lines four and six, respectively. Wheeler cruised past Wilcko 6-2, 6-0 at line four, while Chart beat Olcott in a match tiebreaker, 6-4, 3-6, 1-0 (10-3), at line six.
 
The Vikings now have a chance to win a program-record fifth Big Sky win in their regular-season finale against Northern Arizona Sunday, as they face the Lumberjacks at 10 a.m. (PT).
 
Portland State 6, Southern Utah 1
Apr 17, 2015 at Cedar City, Utah (Thundebird Tennis Courts) 

Singles competition

1. TIERNEY, Stuart (PSU) def. SPENCER, Ben (SUU) 6-2, 5-7, 1-0 (10-8)

2. LOPEZ, Ethan (PSU) def. RIOS, Dario (SUU) 6-3, 6-1

3. BENSON, Troy (SUU) def. COCHRANE, Wil (PSU) 6-3, 6-0

4. WHEELER, Brent (PSU) def. WILKO, Taylor (SUU) 6-2, 6-0

5. PRONESTI, Matt (PSU) def. DIGIANCINTO, Gino (SUU) 6-0, 6-0

6. CHART, Nate (PSU) def. OLCOTT, Brandon (SUU) 6-4, 3-6, 1-0 (10-3)

 

Doubles competition

1. BENSON, Troy/SPENCER, Ben (SUU) def. RISENHOOVER, Ian/COCHRANE, Wil (PSU) 6-2

2. WHEELER, Brent/LOPEZ, Ethan (PSU) def. OLCOTT, Brandon/WILKO, Taylor (SUU) 6-0

3. TIERNEY, Stuart/IBANEZ, Nacor (PSU) def. RIOS, Dario/DIGIANCINTO, Gino (SUU) 6-2

 

Match Notes

Portland State 7-11 (4-6)

Southern Utah 0-13 (0-11)

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

T-2:09 A-15