MATCH NOTES (PDF)

PORTLAND, Ore. — It's come down to this for the Portland State men's tennis team. After starting the season 11-3 and 5-2 in Big Sky play, the Vikings find themselves fighting for a spot in the Big Sky tournament on the final weekend of the regular season, as they end their conference slate at Montana State and Montana, needing at least one win to make it to their first conference tournament in program history.
 
The Vikings, who have lost four straight matches after their hot start to the season, currently stand seventh in the Big Sky standings, out of the potential six-team tournament field. Both the Bobcats and Grizzlies rank above the Vikings in the conference standings, however, opening the door for the Vikings to move up the standings and into the playoff field this weekend.
 
The Vikings' match against the Bobcats on Friday would appear to be the more do-or-die match of the weekend for the Vikings. The Bobcats rank just above the Vikings in sixth place within the Big Sky, but the Vikings could move ahead of them with a win on Friday.
 
A win over the Bobcats would nearly assure the Vikings of making the conference tournament, as it would give the Vikings the tiebreaker over the Bobcats, meaning the Bobcats could only pass the Vikings if they swept their final three matches of the season against Montana, Southern Utah and Northern Arizona, and the Vikings lost to Montana on Saturday.
 
A loss to the Bobcats would put the Vikings in a deep hole, however, as the Bobcats would then control the tiebreaker over the Vikings, meaning the Vikings could only finish ahead of the Bobcats if the Bobcats lost all three of their remaining matches and the Vikings beat the Grizzlies on Saturday.
 
The Vikings could also make the tournament over the Grizzlies, even with a loss to the Bobcats on Friday. If the Vikings beat the Grizzlies and the Grizzlies also go on to lose their final two matches after that – against Montana State and Weber State – then the Vikings would make the tournament over the Grizzlies due to the head-to-head tiebreaker.
 
Besides the playoff chase, this could also be a big weekend for junior Ethan Lopez and senior Brent Wheeler, who are currently tied for the career records for overall wins and Big Sky wins by a doubles team. Lopez and Wheeler could claim both records on their own with a win against Montana State or Montana this weekend, which would make them indisputably the best doubles team in program history.
 
Wheeler is also in a chase with teammate Ian Risenhoover for the individual career records for overall doubles wins and Big Sky doubles wins. Wheeler and Risenhoover currently share the career leads in each category, as the pair rank tied for the lead with 37 career doubles wins overall, and also share the lead with 19 doubles wins in conference play during their careers.
 
The Vikings get started Friday at 11 a.m. (MT) against the Bobcats, and then play at Montana at 2 p.m. (MT) Saturday.
 
The Vikings will then conclude the regular season at home against Linfield next Tuesday, when the Vikings will host the Wildcats at 4 p.m. (PT) at West Hills Racquet and Fitness Club in Portland, Ore.
 
MATCH INFO:
April 15 – at Montana State – Bozeman, Mont. (Bobcat-Anderson Tennis Center) – 11 a.m. (MT)
April 16 – at Montana – Missoula, Mont. (Robert O. Lindsay Tennis Center) – 2 p.m. (MT)
April 19 – vs. Linfield – Portland, Ore. (West Hills Racquet and Fitness Club) – 4 p.m. (PT)
 
FOLLOW THE VIKINGS ON TWITTER:
Fans can follow the Portland State men's tennis team year round on Twitter at @ViksMTEN.
 
SCOUTING MONTANA STATE:
• The Montana State Bobcats (4-10, 4-3 Big Sky) stand 0-7 in non-conference matches, but 4-3 in conference play. The Bobcats' three conference losses have come against some of the team's best teams, as they've lost to Weber State, Sacramento State and Idaho in Big Sky play, three teams who also beat the Vikings and rank in the top four in the conference standings
• The Bobcats lost the top three players from their singles lineup that played against the Vikings last season, when the Bobcats beat the Vikings 4-3 after the Vikings won the doubles point
• The Bobcats have been a better team at home than on the road, as they are 3-2 at home this season, but just 1-8 away from home
• Junior Kellen Bates has played at line one for the Bobcats this season, and has a 4-8 record at the position, including a 3-4 record in Big Sky play
• Senior Harry James and sophomore Rok Sitar lead the Bobcats with 7-7 records in singles this season. Sitar has the best record in Big Sky play of any of the Bobcats at 6-1 so far, though James doesn't rank far behind with a 5-2 record in Big Sky play. James has played most of the season at line three, while Sitar has played at line four
• The Bobcats have been better in doubles than in singles so far this season, especially at line one, where the Bobcats are 8-3 combined as a team
• James and freshman Alexander Flink lead the Bobcats with an 8-2 record at line one in doubles this season, and have not dropped a match in Big Sky play yet this season
 
ALL-TIME SERIES VERSUS MONTANA STATE:
The Vikings have beaten the Bobcats just once before and take a 1-9 all-time record against the Bobcats into their match this season. The Vikings' one win against the Bobcats came in 2010, though the Vikings came close to a win last season, when they lost 4-3 to the Bobcats at home.
 
SCOUTING MONTANA:
• The Montana Grizzlies (7-6, 6-2 Big Sky) have won four matches in a row going into the weekend, a streak that includes a 6-1 road win at Sacramento State
• The Grizzlies return five of the six players who played against the Vikings last season, including two-time All-Big Sky first-team selection Semion Branzburg and All-Big Sky honorable mention Peter Mimnagh-Fleming
• Branzburg has played the majority of the season at line one for the Grizzlies, and is one of five players to have a 6-2 record in Big Sky play so far this season.
• Sophomore Victor Casadevall has not lost a Big Sky match yet this season, as he has an 8-0 record in Big Sky play so far, and an 11-2 record overall
• The Grizzlies have a 38-10 combined singles record in Big Sky play this season, and a 16-6 combined doubles record
• The Grizzlies' Alex Canellopoulos and Yannick Schmidl have a 9-0 record together at line one, and have a 7-0 record in Big Sky play
 
ALL-TIME SERIES VERSUS MONTANA:
The Vikings recorded their first-ever win over the Grizzlies last season, snapping a nine-match losing streak to start their series against Montana. The Vikings have never beaten the Grizzlies in Missoula, however, and are 0-4 away from home all-time against the Grizzlies.
 
SCOUTING LINFIELD:
• The Linfield Wildcats (4-10) have lost every match in seven of their 14 matches this season
• The Wildcats have not played an NCAA Division I team so far this season
• The Wildcats have a youthful roster this season, as seven of the team's 10 players are freshmen or sophomores
• The Wildcats have been a better team in singles than in doubles this season, as the Wildcats are 23-61 combined in singles, but just 8-34 combined in doubles
 
ALL-TIME SERIES VERSUS LINFIELD:
The Vikings won their only other meeting against Linfield, beating the Wildcats 5-2 at home in 2008.
 
LAST TIME OUT:
The Vikings lost their fourth straight match with a 6-1 defeat to Idaho on April 2, and all four have come in a familiar pattern. Nathan Boniel has won at the top of the Vikings' singles lineup during all four matches, but no one else has been able to win in that time. The loss dropped the Vikings to seventh in the Big Sky, out of the potential six-team Big Sky tournament field. The Vikings still recorded some historic wins in their match against Idaho, however, as junior Ethan Lopez and senior Bernt Wheeler tied the Portland State career record for wins by a doubles team with their 21st win together in the match. Lopez and Wheeler also tied the career record for Big Sky wins by a doubles team, while Wheeler tied teammate Ian Risenhoover rank tied for the individual career records in overall and conference doubles wins. Boniel also extended his single-season records for overall singles wins and wins at No. 1 singles, and broke the record for Big Sky singles wins that Lopez set last season.
 
UPCOMING:
The Vikings' fate will be decided this weekend. If the Vikings qualify for the Big Sky tournament, then they'll play in the Big Sky tournament at Gold River Racquet Club in Gold River, Calif, April 29 to May 1.
 
ROAD QUESTIONS:
The Vikings have had trouble on the road so far this season, as they are 3-6 in true road matches after their loss to the Vandals on April 2. The Vikings' six road losses account for all but one of the team's seven losses this season, and the Vikings have not yet won a Big Sky match on the road this season. One of the Vikings' best wins of the season also came on the road, however, as the Vikings beat Gonzaga 5-2 in the Bulldogs' brand new Stevens Center. The Vikings entered that match just 1-11 all-time against the Bulldogs, who had won 10 of the teams' 12 previous meetings by 6-1 of 7-0 scores.
 
2016 GUARANTEED TO BE BEST SEASON IN PROGRAM HISTORY:
The Vikings have already broken the single-season program records for overall wins (11) and Big Sky wins (5) this season. No team had ever won more than nine matches overall in a season before this year's team, and no team had ever won more than four Big Sky matches. Additionally, no team has ever finished the season with a winning record overall or in Big Sky play, but this year's team will accomplish both if they can record one more win.
 
BONIEL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BEST INDIVIDUAL SEASON IN PROGRAM HISTORY:
Sophomore transfer Nathan Boniel broke the single-season records for overall singles wins and wins at No. 1 singles in the Vikings' match against Sacramento State on March 25. Boniel beat Sacramento State's Mikus Losbergs 6-2, 7-5 for his 16th win overall and at line one, breaking the record Chris Rice set with 15 wins (both overall and at line one) in 2009. Now at 17-1, Boniel is also nearly guaranteed to break Rice's records for overall singles win percentage and win percentage at No. 1 singles, both of which Rice set at .652 in 2009. Boniel would have to lose nine straight matches to drop below Rice's record, and the Vikings only have three matches remaining in the regular season. Boniel also broke the single-season record for Big Sky singles wins with his 6-2, 6-1 win over Idaho's Odon Barta on April 2, breaking the record teammate Ethan Lopez set with seven Big Sky wins last season.
 
RISENHOOVER, WHEELER IN MIDDLE OF REWRITING THE RECORD BOOKS:
Senior Ian Risenhoover took over the all-time lead in doubles wins with a 6-2 win over North Dakota's Connor Oberle and Matt Hokanson on March 4, but fellow senior Brent Wheeler has caught Risenhoover and now shares the career record with his senior teammate. Both Risenhoover and Wheeler have 37 doubles wins in their careers, and the pair have identical records as well at 37-32 over their four years at Portland State. Both Risenhoover and Wheeler also rank tied for the career lead in Big Sky doubles wins, as both players have 19 doubles wins in conference play in their careers. Additionally, Wheeler ranks one win from tying the career record for wins at No. 1 doubles, which Chris Rice set with 26 wins at the position from 2009-11. Risenhoover, meanwhile, took over the all-time lead in wins at No. 2 doubles earlier this season, and ranks second all-time in win percentage at No. 2 doubles, behind only Scott Goldner, who Risenhoover played with earlier this season.
 
CAREER RECORD CHASING IN TOP 10:
Besides Risenhoover and Wheeler jockeying for position in the all-time doubles top 10, several of the Vikings' other players have been moving up the all-time top 10s as well. Besides Risenhoover and Wheeler, fellow senior Wil Cochrane ranks tied for seventh all-time in career doubles wins with 25 in his career, while junior Ethan Lopez ranks ninth all-time with 21 doubles wins. Lopez, Risenhoover and Wheeler also rank second and tied for third, respectively in overall doubles win percentage. Meanwhile, the Vikings have five active players in the career top 10 in singles wins, with Cochrane leading the pack in fourth all-time with 24 career singles wins. Behind Cochrane, Wheeler ranks tied for fifth all-time with 23 career wins, while Lopez, Risenhoover and Nathan Boniel rank seventh, eighth and ninth, respectively, with 21, 19 and 17 career wins. The same five players also all rank in the all-time top 10 for Big Sky singles wins, with Risenhoover holding the career record with 15 conference wins in his career. Lopez ranks third behind Risenhoover with 11 career wins, while Cochrane ranks tied for fourth with 10 wins, Wheeler ranks sixth with nine wins, and Boniel ranks tied for seventh with eight career wins.
 
LOPEZ AND WHEELER – A DYNAMIC DUO:
Junior Ethan Lopez and Brent Wheeler can become the best doubles team in school history with one more win together, as they currently rank tied for the all-time record with 21 wins together in their careers. Lopez and Wheeler tied the record with a 6-2 win over Idaho's Jackson Varney and Artem Vasheshnikov on April 2, equaling team with Alec Marx and Abhinav Mishra who set the record with 21 wins together from 2012-14. Lopez and Wheeler also tied Marx and Mishra for the career record in Big Sky doubles wins with their win against Idaho, and will break the record if they can win a match against Montana State or Montana this weekend. Lopez and Wheeler took over the all-time lead in wins at No. 1 doubles earlier in the season, as they have 12 wins together at the top of the Vikings' doubles lineup. Lopez and Wheeler also already broke the single-season record for most wins by a doubles, as they have 12 wins together this season, two more than the previous record of 10, which Marx and Mishra shared with Sean Eberle and Chris Rice before this season.
 
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.