Complete Match Notes (PDF)

PORTLAND, Ore. — Not every team gets a chance for revenge within the same season, but that's the chance afforded to the Portland State men's tennis team this weekend.
 
The Vikings play at Seattle Saturday, when they can avenge a heartbreaking, 4-3 loss to the Redhawks on Jan. 27 earlier this season. The Vikings led the Redhawks 3-1 in that match, but lost the final three singles matches – two in three sets – to lose the match, 4-3. The Vikings had match points at line two against the Redhawks that would have won them the match, but couldn't convert and then couldn't serve out the match in the ensuing game.
 
Close matches have been typical between the Vikings and Redhawks, as five of the last six matches between the two teams have been decided by 4-3 or 5-2 scores.
 
The Vikings and Redhawks also played a 4-3 match in Seattle last season that the Vikings won behind a three-set comeback from then-senior Wil Cochrane. Cochrane trailed 3-0 in the third set of his match against Seattle's Matt Alderson at line five, but won six of the final seven games to win 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 and pull out the 4-3 win for the Vikings.
 
The Vikings also won a 5-2 match against the Redhawks at home earlier in 2016. The Vikings swept the singles matches at lines 1-4 in that match, and took the doubles point behind wins at lines one and two.
 
Doubles will be a good harbinger for the Vikings in their quest for revenge on the Redhawks, as both teams have struggled in doubles so far this season. The Vikings swept doubles against the Redhawks the last time the teams played, but that's the only doubles-point win for the Vikings over a Division I opponent this season. The Redhawks, meanwhile, have also only won the doubles point against one Division I opponent this season, which came in their 5-2 win over Montana State on Jan. 20.
 
If the Vikings can get off to a good note in doubles, and junior Nathan Boniel and freshman Tommy Edwards can match their wins in singles, then the Vikings will just need to pick up one additional win to clinch the dual this time around.
 
And if they can do that, then come Saturday night, the Vikings will have their revenge.
 
MATCH INFO:
Feb. 11 – at Seattle – Seattle, Wash. (Tennis Center at Sand Point) – 6 p.m. (PT)
 
FOLLOW THE VIKINGS ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Fans can follow the Portland State men's tennis team all year on Twitter at @ViksMTEN. Live updates from most home matches will be posted on that account. Fans can also find the Vikings on Instagram at @viksmtennis.
 
SCOUTING SEATTLE:
• The Seattle Redhawks (4-5) beat the Vikings, 4-3, in a match on Jan. 27 earlier this season. The Vikings led that match 3-1 after sweeping doubles and winning at lines one and three in singles, but the Redhawks came back to win the final three singles matches – two in three sets – to win the dual, 4-3. The Vikings' Ethan Lopez had match points at line two in singles that would have clinched the dual for the Vikings, but Seattle's John Stormans saved all three with him serving at 3-5 in the third set, and then broke Lopez with Lopez serving for the match in the ensuing game.
• The Redhawks followed their 4-3 win over the Vikings with a 7-0 loss at Portland the next day, but bounced back with a pair of 6-1 wins over NCAA Division III George Fox and Pacific Lutheran last weekend.
• The Redhawks have also played a couple of other Big Sky teams this season, as they lost 6-1 to Eastern Washington while splitting a pair of neutral-site matches to Montana State in Eugene.
• Freshman Trenton Nield has remained at line one for the Redhawks in singles, where he met Viking junior Nathan Boniel in the teams' first match against each other this season. Boniel beat Nield in a close, 6-3, 7-6 (3) match, handing Nield one of his seven losses this season.
• The Redhawks have shuffled around their lineup behind Nield, as multiple players have played at each position behind Nield.
• Sophomore Jeremiah Kalmus leads the Redhawks with six singles wins this season, including five at line four. Kalmus has gone 6-3 overall during the dual season, making him one of only two athletes with a winning record in singles. Sophomore Michael Schoettler also holds a winning record for the Rehawks, as he's gone 2-1 overall, including a 2-0 record at line five. One of Schoettler's two wins at line five this season came over the Vikings' Yousef Abdo, who he came back to beat in three sets.
• Senior John Stormans ranks second to Kalmus with four singles wins during the dual season, which he's split between lines two and three.
• Doubles has been a struggle for the Redhawks this season, as the Redhawks are just 3-17 combined in doubles in matches against NCAA Division I schools.
• The Redhawks have played 10 different teams in doubles this dual season. Trenton Nield and Matt Alderson have played the most matches for the Redhawks, as they've gone 3-5 together – all at line one.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES VERSUS SEATTLE:
The Vikings' loss to the Redhawks earlier this season dropped them to 7-4 all-time against Seattle. The Vikings and Redhawks have split their last six matches against each other, however, and five of the six matches since 2013 have been decided by 4-3 or 5-2 scores. The last two matches between the Vikings and Redhawks have been decided by 4-3 scores, with the Vikings winning 4-3 in Seattle last season, but losing 4-3 to the Redhawks at home earlier this season.
 
LAST TIME OUT:
The Vikings dropped a pair of matches in Stockton, Calif., last weekend, losing to the University of the Pacific, 7-0, and Hawaii, 5-2. The Tigers swept past the Vikings, winning all three doubles matches and all six singles matches. Junior Nathan Boniel nearly pulled out a win for the Vikings at line one in singles, as he pulled out a first-set tiebreaker against Pacific's Miguel Davis – the 18th-ranked singles player in the ITA Northwest region. Davis came back with a 6-3 win in the second set, however, and then beat Boniel in a match tiebreaker, 10-6. Boniel bounced back with his own win in a match tiebreaker the next day against Hawaii, as he mounted his own comeback against Hawaii's Felix Albert. Boniel lost the first set to Albert, 6-0, the first time in his Portland State career that he had ever lost a set at love during the dual season. Boniel fell behind 4-1 in the second set, too, but won five of the final seven games as well as the ensuing tiebreaker to level the match, and then won the 10-point match tiebreaker, 10-2. Freshman Sam Larson joined Boniel as a winner against Hawaii, as he beat Hawaii's Eric Kenneth 6-4, 6-2 at line six.
 
UPCOMING:
The Vikings return home for a Big Sky match against Eastern Washington Friday, Feb. 17, at Club Green Meadows in Vancouver, Wash. The Vikings and Eagles will start their match at 12 p.m. (PT).
 
FRESHMAN PHENOMS:
Freshmen Tommy Edwards and Sam Larson have been two bright spots for the Vikings as a pair of first-year players in the Vikings' lineup. During the fall, Edwards was a finalist in the singles B flight at the Bulldog Classic, where he also won the consolation doubles title with partner Nathan Boniel. Now in the spring, Edwards ranks tied with Boniel for the team lead with three singles wins, all of which have come in straight sets. Edwards has also has gone 2-2 with Boniel at line one in doubles, and has moved up to line two in the Vikings' singles lineup behind Boniel. Larson, meanwhile, has gone 2-4 so far at line six in singles, and has also gone 2-3 with senior Ethan Lopez at line three in doubles. Larson's two wins at line six this season already rank him only three wins behind the single-season record for wins at the position with 12 matches left on the Vikings' schedule. Six different players currently rank tied for the single-season record for wins at line six, including Ian Risenhoover, who won five matches for the Vikings at line six last season.
 
BONIEL AND LOPEZ BATTLING AT THE TOP OF THE RECORD BOOKS:
A subtext to the Vikings' 2017 season will be the battle at the top of the record book between junior Nathan Boniel and senior Ethan Lopez. Both have a chance to break the career record for singles wins at Portland State, which currently stands at 28, shared between Chris Rice (2009-11) and Alex VanDerschelden (2008-11). Lopez and Boniel currently rank tied for seventh all-time with 22 career singles wins, just six behind the current record. The two will also battle for the career record in Big Sky singles wins to their former teammate Ian Risenhoover set at 15 last season. Lopez and Boniel rank third and tied for sixth with 11 and nine career conference wins, respectively. Boniel and Lopez also stand first and third, respectively, in overall singles win percentage, with Boniel way out in front at .846 (22-4), while Lopez stands at .489 (22-23). Boniel is also chasing records at line one, where he currently stands second in career wins with 22 – six behind Chris Rice's record of 28. Additionally, Boniel currently holds the record for win percentage at No. 1 singles, as his win percentage of .846 (22-4) stands way out in front of Rice's old record of .509 (28-27).
 
NATHAN BONIEL, REIGNING BIG SKY MVP:
Junior Nathan Boniel has a tough act to follow after he completed the best individual season in program history in 2016, which culminated in him being named the Vikings' first Big Sky MVP in program history. Boniel broke five single-season school records while going 19-1 in singles in 2016, including the records for most wins in a season (19), most Big Sky wins in a season (9) and highest overall singles win percentage (.950). Boniel's only loss during the 2016 spring season came in three sets in a match where he led in the third set. Boniel has been off to a good start so far in defense of his MVP honors, as he won the Bulldog Classic Single A title during the fall, and was a finalist in the Dar Walters Fall Classic Singles A flight. Additionally, Boniel competed at the prestigious Oracle ITA Masters, where he upset a Pac-12 mixed doubles team in Nick Crystal of USC and Denise Starr of Cal, along with Idaho's Marianna Petrei. Both Crystal and Starr entered the match ranked in the top 10 nationally in men's and women's doubles, while Starr was the 2016 NCAA runner-up in women's doubles.
 
NEWCOMERS:
The Vikings added three true freshmen during the offseason in Tommy Edwards, Sam Larson and Majeed Bukhari, while redshirt freshman Yousef Abdo joins the fold after sitting out last season. Edwards had the best fall season of any of the four freshmen, as he made the championship match of the singles B draw at the Bulldog Classic, where he also won the consolation doubles title along with teammate Nathan Boniel. Edwards also competed in the junior draw at the Oracle ITA Masters, not representing Portland State, and advanced into the second round of the prestigious tournament. Bukhari, meanwhile, made the consolation finals of the singles B draw at the Bulldog Classic, and went 5-5 overall in singles during the fall.
 
2016 SEASON RECAP:
The Vikings completed the best season in program history last year, as the team set program records for overall wins (12), overall win percentage (.571) and Big Sky wins (5). The Vikings also challenged for a spot in the Big Sky tournament during the season, which would have been their first time ever making the Big Sky tournament. The Vikings stood 5-2 in Big Sky matches at one point, but an untimely injury to the Vikings' No. 2 singles player, Scott Goldner, precipitated a six-match losing streak that dropped the Vikings out of tournament contention. The Vikings still managed to set more individual records during the season, however, as departed senior Ian Risenhoover set the career record for career doubles wins at 39, while fellow departed senior Brent Wheeler finished second behind him with 38. Wheeler also set the record for most career wins by a doubles team with 22 with Ethan Lopez, and tied the record for most individual career wins at No. 1 doubles with 26. Risenhoover, meanwhile, left the program as the career leader in wins at No. 2 doubles, wins at No. 6 singles, Big Sky singles wins and Big Sky doubles wins. The big record-setter in 2016, however, was Nathan Boniel, who set five single-season records while becoming the program's first-ever Big Sky MVP at the end of the season. Boniel set the records for overall singles wins (19), overall singles win percentage (.950), Big Sky singles wins (9), wins at No. 1 singles (19) and win percentage at No. 1 singles (.950).