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CHENEY, Wash. — With both teams entering the match on the Big Sky tournament bubble, Eastern Washington picked up a pivotal win over the Portland State women's tennis team Sunday, beating the Vikings, 5-2, and eliminating the Vikings from tournament contention.
 
The Vikings (5-9, 4-6 Big Sky) entered the match needing a win to stay in contention for the Big Sky tournament, after Montana State picked up its fifth conference win of the season with a 4-3 victory over Northern Colorado Saturday. That win meant the Vikings would need two wins in their final two matches of the regular season to pass the Bobcats, who hold the tiebreaker over the Vikings after beating them 6-1 in Bozeman back in February.
 
After their loss to the Eagles (11-9, 5-4 Big Sky), however, the Vikings have no path into the top six in the Big Sky, meaning the team will miss the conference tournament for the first time since 2013. The Vikings could still tie for sixth place in the Big Sky standings, but would lose all possible tiebreakers.
 
"Today was a disappointing day for us," PSU head coach Jay Sterling said after the match. "We had a really poor start in doubles – the worst outing of the year for us, by far – and that carried over to the start of our singles matches.
 
"Both teams were playing for the final spot in the tournament, and Eastern handled the situation better than we did. We're so much better than we played today, but we got out-competed from the start and couldn't get it back."
 
The Vikings lost the doubles point with quick losses at lines two and three in doubles, as Eastern Washington won 6-1 at line two and 6-2 at line three. The Vikings then dropped the first set at lines 1-5 in singles, and dropped the matches at lines one and two in straight sets to quickly fall into a 3-0 hole in the dual.
 
"I really don't have an explanation [for the poor start]," Sterling said. "Our team was prepared. We were ready physically and mentally, but the team that showed up at the start of the matches was foreign to me."
 
The Vikings battled back to take the matches at lines 3-6 to three sets, giving the Vikings hope of a comeback. Juniors Tracy Dong and Sabina-Elena Preda, and redshirt junior Kelsey Frey all won the second sets of their matches at lines three, four and five, respectively, to level them at a set all.
 
Eastern Washington's Rachel Swindell bounced back after a 6-1 second-set loss to Frey to win the third set at line five, 6-1, however, and clinch the dual for the Eagles. Dong's opponent, Eastern Washington's Faye Worrall, also pulled out a close match tiebreaker in their match at line three, giving her a 6-3, 5-7, 1-0 (11-9) win over Dong.
 
Preda was the lone Viking to complete her comeback after dropping the first set, as she beat Eastern Washington's Erin Blessing 6-1 in the third set to wrap up a 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 win.
 
Freshman Taylor Rees, meanwhile, won her first set against Eastern Washington's Carolina Lopez at line six, 6-4, but then joined her teammates in a third set after losing the second set of their match, 6-2. Rees bounced back with a 6-3 win in the third set, though, giving the freshman her sixth win of the season at line six, as well as her seventh overall.
 
The Vikings will wrap up the regular season Saturday, when they play at Montana at 9 a.m. (MT).
 
Match Notes: The Vikings fall to 6-16 all-time against the Eagles following Sunday's loss…The Vikings had won three matches in a row against the Eagles before Sunday's loss…The Vikings fall to 0-6 on the road this season with Sunday's loss.

Eastern Washington 5, Portland State 2
Apr 10, 2016 at Cheney, Wash.
 

Singles competition

1. SMITH, Janaya (EWU) def. VORSTER, Dane (PSU) 6-2, 6-3

2. HEDBERG, Moira (EWU) def. PERI, Siena (PSU) 6-2, 7-5

3. WORRALL, Faye (EWU) def. DONG, Tracy (PSU) 6-3, 5-7, 1-0 (11-9)

4. PREDA, Sabina-Elena (PSU) def. BLESSING, Erin (EWU) 3-6, 6-3, 6-1

5. SWINDELL, Rachel (EWU) def. FREY, Kelsey (PSU) 6-2, 1-6, 6-1

6. REES, Taylor (PSU) def. LOPEZ, Carolina (EWU) 6-4, 2-6, 6-3

Doubles competition

1. SMITH, Janaya/WORRALL, Faye (EWU) vs. PERI, Siena/DONG, Tracy (PSU) 3-4, unfinished

2. HEDBERG, Moira/SWINDELL, Rachel (EWU) def. VORSTER, Dane/REES, Taylor (PSU) 6-1

3. DOMINGO, Katrina/BLESSING, Erin (EWU) def. PREDA, Sabina-Elena/FREY, Kelsey (PSU) 6-2

Match Notes

Portland State 5-9, 4-6 BSC

Eastern Washington 11-9, 5-4 BSC

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