MATCH NOTES (PDF)

PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland State men's tennis team faces its biggest test of the season to date, as they head out on the road for matches at Eastern Washington and Gonzaga this weekend.
 
The Vikings have been off to their best start in program history, setting a program record with five straight wins, a streak they'll carry into this weekend.
 
The Vikings will open the weekend against the Eagles (5-2, 2-0 Big Sky), who are off to their own hot start after beating Northern Colorado and North Dakota 4-3 on the road last weekend.
 
Junior Robert Dula has led the Eagles so far, as he's got a 7-0 record at line one, and was named the Big Sky Player of the Week last week. Portland State sophomore Nathan Boniel will take his own undefeated record at line one into the match against the Eagles, however, setting up a battle of the unbeaten between him and Dula.
 
Portland State's Scott Goldner and Ethan Lopez also carry win streaks of four straight and five straight matches, respectively, into the match against the Eagles, who have a 25-17 record as a team in singles.
 
The Vikings will then continue on the road against Gonzaga, who has lost four straight singles matches, but two of those four losses came to nationally ranked teams. The Bulldogs also handed the Eagles one of their two losses this season, as they beat them 6-1 on Jan. 27.
 
The Vikings will open the weekend against the Eagles at 11 a.m. Saturday in Cheney, Wash., and then play the Bulldogs at 9 a.m. Sunday in Spokane, Wash.
 
MATCH INFO:
Feb. 20 – at Eastern Washington – Cheney, Wash. – 11 a.m.
Feb. 21 – at Gonzaga – Spokane, Wash. (Stevens Center) – 9 a.m.

LIVE RESULTS:
Live results will be available for the Vikings' match against Gonzaga this Sunday. Fans can access the link to live stats on the men's tennis schedule page on GoViks.com.

LIVE VIDEO:
Live video streams of all the courts will be available for the Vikings' match against Gonzaga this Sunday. Fans can access the link to live video on the men's tennis schedule page on GoViks.com.
 
FOLLOW THE VIKINGS ON TWITTER:
Fans can follow the Portland State men's tennis team year round on Twitter at @ViksMTEN.
 
SCOUTING EASTERN WASHINGTON:
• The Eastern Washington Eagles (5-2, 2-0 Big Sky) have started Big Sky play 2-0 after winning a pair of 4-3 match on the road over Northern Colorado and North Dakota. The Eagles lost the doubles point to the Bears but came back to win at lines one, four, five and six in singles. Meanwhile, the Eagles swept doubles against North Dakota, before splitting the six singles matches against UND
• The Eagles have won three of their five matches by 4-3 scores, but lost 4-3 to Air Force on Feb. 11
• The Eagles return four letterwinners from last season, when they went 7-14 overall and 5-6 in Big Sky play in their first season under head coach Steve Clark
• Robert Dula, the reigning Big Sky Player of the Week, has been dominant at line one for the Eagles, as he's a perfect 7-0 at the top spot in the lineup. Dula also holds a 5-1 doubles record with partner Victor Pereira
• Eduardo Bringold ranks second on the team with a 5-2 singles record, including a 4-1 mark at line three
• Rendell Burghart has a 2-0 record in Big Sky play, as well as a 3-1 record overall in singles
• Wacil Bendjelti and Vuk Vuckovic have a 4-2 record together while playing at line two in doubles
• The Eagles have a 13-7 record as a team in doubles, and a 25-17 record in singles
 
ALL-TIME SERIES VERSUS EASTERN WASHINGTON:
The Eagles have owned the all-time series against the Vikings, as the Vikings have won just three times in 15 total matches against the Eagles. The Eagles have won the last six straight, though the team has been close recently, losing 4-3 in on Feb. 13, 2013, 5-2 on Jan. 18, 2014 and 4-3 on April 5, 2014. The Vikings have never beaten the Eagles on the road, however, and are 0-6 against the Eagles away from home.
 
SCOUTING GONZAGA:
• The Gonzaga Bulldogs (2-4) have lost four straight matches after starting their 2016 season 2-0. The Vikings beat Eastern Washington 6-1 to open their 2016 dual season on Jan. 27, and then followed it up with a 4-3 win over New Mexico State on Jan. 30. Since then, the Bulldogs have lost 6-1 to then-No. 69 Arizona, 4-3 to then-No. 73 Pacific, 6-1 to Portland and 4-3 to Idaho
• The Vikings last played the Bulldogs in 2014, when they faced them twice, losing 6-1 in both matches
• The Bulldogs have a pretty new roster, as four of the team's seven players are newcomers, while four of the team's seven players are underclassmen
• The Bulldogs went 11-11 overall last season and 2-7 in WAC play
• The Bulldogs have won the doubles point in two of their six matches this season
• The Bulldogs came back to beat New Mexico State after losing the doubles point, but lost the match to No. 73 Pacific after winning the doubles point
• Ruadhan O'Sullivan leads the Bulldogs with a 5-1 singles record, going 2-0 at line two and 3-1 at line three, and has won three straight matches
• Emilio Moreno ranks second on the team with a 4-2 singles record, including a 3-2 mark at line six
• Jordan Smith ranks third on the team with a 3-3 singles record, including a 3-1 mark at line two
• Hayden Smith and Jordan Smith have a 3-1 doubles record while playing at line one together
 
ALL-TIME SERIES VERSUS GONZAGA:
The Vikings are 1-11 all-time against the Bulldogs, with their one win coming in 2011. The Bulldogs have won 10 of the 12 matches in the series by 6-1 or 7-0 scores, while their other win came by a 5-2 score.
 
LAST TIME OUT:
Down 3-0 in the third set with his team tied 3-3 in the dual, senior Wil Cochrane mounted a dramatic comeback to lead the Vikings to a program-record fifth straight win last Friday, as the Vikings beat Seattle 4-3 on the road. Cochrane broke at 6-5 in the second set against Seattle's Matt Alderson to force a third set at line five, but then found himself two breaks and 3-0 down early on in the final set. Cochrane still found himself one break down at 4-2 in the third set, but won the final four games to complete a 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 win. Cochrane's comeback was part of a larger one by the Vikings in the match, as the team won four of the six singles matches to win the match after losing the doubles point. The comeback marked the first time the Vikings had comeback after losing the doubles point since Feb. 17, 2012, when the Vikings came back to beat Seattle 5-2 after being swept in doubles. Besides Cochrane, sophomore Nathan Boniel and juniors Scott Goldner and Ethan Lopez won at lines one, two and four, respectively.
 
UPCOMING:
The Vikings head back to the Portland area for a home match against Northern Colorado on Feb. 27. The Vikings will host the Bears at Club Green Meadows in Vancouver, Wash., with the match starting at 5 p.m. (PT).
 
RECORDS ARE FALLING AND IT'S ONLY FEBRUARY!:
The Vikings' win over Seattle marked the team's fifth straight win, setting a program record for longest win streak that the team will carry into this weekend. The Vikings' five wins also rank tied for the fourth-best single-season win total in program history, and the 2016 dual season's not even a month old.
 
RISENHOOVER CHASING CAREER LEAD IN DOUBLES WINS:
Senior Ian Risenhoover stands just one win away from tying Alex VanDerschelden for the career lead in doubles victories with 32. Risenhoover has already won four matches with Scott Goldner, as the pair are 4-1 together at line two so far this season. If Risenhoover wins in doubles against Eastern Washington on Saturday, then he'll get his first chance at claiming the record for himself when the Vikings play at Gonzaga the next day. Besides Risenhoover, fellow seniors Brent Wheeler and Wil Cochrane also rank in the career top 10 for doubles wins, as Wheeler ranks tied for third with 28 doubles victories, while Cochrane ranks ninth with 19.
 
A TRUE NO. 1:
Sophomore transfer Nathan Boniel has been a blessing for the Vikings at No. 1 singles this season, as he remains 6-0 during the dual season, and has won 12 of the 15 sets he's played this season. Boniel's six wins already rank tied for the fourth-best single-season total in school history, while his 6-0 record put him well ahead of the current single-season records for overall win percentage and win percentage at No. 1 singles, both of which Chris Rice set with a 15-8 record (.652) in 2009.
 
GOLDNER GOLDEN AT LINE TWO:
Boniel's fellow newcomer Scott Goldner has been just about as dominant at line two for the Vikings, as he's 4-1 during the dual season, having won the last four straight. What's more, Goldner has won all four of his matches in straight sets, and has won six of his last eight sets at 6-2 or better. Goldner's five wins at line two already gives him the ninth-best single-season win total at No. 2 singles, while his 4-1 record would give him the best single-season win percentage at the position if he were eligible.
 
FORGET J-LO, WE'LL TAKE E-LO:
Junior Ethan Lopez is just barely into his second year within the Portland State men's tennis program, but he's already become one of the program's all-time best players. Lopez currently holds the career lead in singles win percentage with a 16-9 career mark (.640), and ranks second all-time in doubles wins percentage with a 14-8 career mark (.636). Lopez also set single-season records for Big Sky singles wins (7) and win percentage at No. 2 singles last season, and has won five straight singles matches in the early going of this season, all in straight sets. Additionally, Lopez and senior Brent Wheeler have a chance to become the all-time winningest doubles team at Portland State, as they have 13 career wins together, eight behind the all-time leaders in Alec Marx and Abhinav Mishra, who won 21 matches together from 2012-14.
 
VIKINGS IN CAREER TOP 10 FOR SINGLES WINS:
The Vikings' three seniors of Wil Cochrane, Ian Risenhoover and Brent Wheeler all rank in the top 10 all-time in career singles wins at Portland State, as well as junior Ethan Lopez. Wheeler ranks highest of the four players with 19 singles wins, ranking him fifth all-time in school history. Cochrane, meanwhile, has 18 career wins to rank sixth all-time, while Lopez ranks seventh with 16 career wins and Risenhoover ranks tied for eighth with 15 career wins.
 
NEWCOMERS:
The Vikings brought in three players over the offseason in junior transfer Scott Goldner, sophomore transfer Nathan Boniel and freshman Yousef Abdo. Boniel came to the Vikings with impressive credentials after he won an NCCAA national title at Campbellsville University in 2015. Boniel was named an NCCAA first-team All-American after winning the national title, and was also named to the Mid-South Conference first team last season. Goldner, meanwhile, came to the Vikings after graduating Magna Cum Laude after only three years at the University of Oregon where he played club tennis. Goldner also lettered in tennis at Lake Oswego High School during all four years of high school, and placed third at state as a senior with Lake Oswego in 2012. Abdo came to the Vikings out of Cairo, Egypt, where he was ranked in the top 10 in the U14 and U16 age divisions. Abdo also achieved a French ranking of 5/6 during his junior career, and was a two-time quarterfinalist at the Egyptian national tournament.
 
RETURNERS:
The Vikings return four of the six regular players from their lineup last season in Ethan Lopez, Brent Wheeler, Wil Cochrane and Ian Risenhoover, as well as junior Nacor Ibanez, who entered the Vikings' lineup on occasion last season. Lopez had the best season of the Vikings' four returners, as he was named an All-Big Sky honorable mention after a record-setting year in 2015. Lopez set Portland State single-season school records for Big Sky singles wins (7), Big Sky wins by a team (8 w/ Brent Wheeler) and win percentage at No. 2 singles (.727). Lopez also led the Vikings with a 17-12 overall singles record (11-8 during the dual season), and went 8-1 in Big Sky doubles matches with Wheeler. Risenhoover and Cochrane also had great doubles seasons in 2015, with Risenhoover going 7-8 with Stuart Tierney at line one, while Cochrane went 7-7 with Matt Pronesti at line two.
 
2014-15 SEASON RECAP:
The Vikings posted historic accomplishments throughout the 2014-15 season, starting in the fall when the Vikings' doubles team of Wil Cochrane and Matt Pronesti became the first team to win a main draw doubles title since 2010 as they won the second flight of the PNW Intercollegiates. Pronesti also won the singles title at the Corvallis Indoor Tennis Championships, becoming the first Viking to win a main draw singles title since 2011. Pronesti was named the Big Sky Player of the Week after his win in Corvallis, which gave him another historic feat as it made him the Vikings' first Big Sky Player of the Week since 2010. The Vikings picked up another Big Sky Player of the Week honor a little while later, as Stuart Tierney won the award after leading the Vikings to their first-ever win over defending Big Sky tournament-champion Montana with a 5-2 victory on Feb. 21. The Vikings also picked up their first-ever win over traditional conference power Sacramento State, beating the Hornets 4-3 on April 11. The historic wins led the Vikings to four Big Sky wins during the 2015 spring season, which tied the program record for conference wins in a single season.