Complete Match Notes (PDF)

PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland State women's tennis team heads back out on the road this weekend, as they play at Idaho State and Weber State this Thursday and Saturday.
 
The Bengals and Wildcats represent a pair of young teams, as both teams have rosters with mostly underclassmen.
 
The Bengals' roster is exclusively made up of freshmen, as head coach Gretchen Maloney brought in nine first-year players to make up their 2017 roster.
 
The Bengals' youth has not been a hindrance so far, however, as the Bengals have started the season 2-2, including a 5-2 win over North Dakota to open Big Sky play. The Bengals should also be rested for their match against the Vikings, as they haven't played since losing to Boise State on Feb. 12, close to three weeks ago.
 
The Wildcats, meanwhile, are in rebuilding mode, as they've started the season 0-7 overall – a year after they went 8-3 in Big Sky play and advanced to the semifinals of the Big Sky tournament. The Wildcats lost seniors Agata Bachenek and Kristi Elmer off last year's team, after the pair earned All-Big Sky second-team and honorable-mention honors, respectively.
 
The Wildcats' youth has meant they've changed up their lineup frequently already this season, as multiple people have played at all six singles lines so far.
 
The Wildcats have struggled in doubles this season, as well, going 4-14 combined in doubles, and three of those four wins have come from one team.
 
The Vikings and Wildcats could be destined for another close match Saturday, however, as the last five matches between the two teams have all been decided by 4-3 scores.
 
The Vikings open the weekend against Idaho State in Pocatello, Idaho, at 12 p.m. (MT) Thursday, and then play at Weber State in Ogden, Utah, at 12 p.m. (MT).
 
MATCH INFO:
March 2 – at Idaho State – Pocatello, Idaho – 12 p.m. (MT)
March 4 – at Weber State – Ogden, Utah – 12 p.m. (MT)
 
FOLLOW THE VIKINGS ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Fans can follow the Portland State women's tennis team all year on Twitter at @ViksWTEN. Live updates from most home matches will be posted on that account. Fans can also find the Vikings on Instagram at @vikswten.
 
SCOUTING IDAHO STATE:
• The Idaho State Bengals (2-2, 1-0 Big Sky) are a unique team in 2017, as head coach Gretchen Maloney brought in nine freshmen that now make up the Bengals' entire roster.
• The young Bengals got off to a good start to the dual season, as they beat Lewis-Clark State 7-0 on Jan. 27, and then followed it up with a 5-2 win over North Dakota the next day to open Big Sky play. The Bengals lost their first match of the season 5-2 to Utah State on Feb. 3, and lost again to Boise State, 7-0, on Feb. 12. The Bengals have been idle since then, meaning the Bengals' match against the Vikings will be their first match in close to three weeks.
• The Bengals have played three different players at line one so far this season in Hristina Cvetkovic, Huibre-Mare Botes and Louise-Mare Botes. Cvetkovic has gone 1-1 at the top spot so far this season, but has also gone 2-0 at line two. Huibre-Mare Botes has also gone 1-0 at line one, 1-1 at line two and 0-1 at line three. Louise-Mare Botes, meanwhile, has gone 0-1 at line one and 2-1 at line three. Huibre-Mare Botes and Louise-Mare Botes have also played together at line one in doubles, and have gone 1-3 at the position so far this season.
• Melissa Coburn has gone 3-1 at line four in singles so far this season, and has also gone 3-1 at line two in doubles with Megan Poe, who has played at line five in singles.
• The Vikings swept the Bengals, 7-0, in their match against them last season, though four of the six singles matches went past two sets. Both teams' lineups will look dramatically different this season, however, as none of the Bengals' nine freshman played in that match, of course, and the Vikings lost Dané Vorster and Kelsey Frey, who played at lines one and five, respectively.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES VERSUS IDAHO STATE:
The Bengals lead the all-time series between them and the Vikings, 8-7, but the Vikings have owned the series of late. The Vikings' seven wins in the series have come in their last nine matches against the Bengals, and the Vikings have won the last four straight.
 
SCOUTING WEBER STATE:
• The Weber State Wildcats (0-7, 0-1 Big Sky) have been off to a rough start this season, as they've lost all seven matches so far, including their Big Sky opener against North Dakota on Jan. 27.
• The Wildcats lost 4-3 to North Dakota at home despite taking the doubles point from the Fighting Hawks and winning at lines one and five in singles.
• The Wildcats lost a pair of senior leaders in Agata Bachanek and Kristi Elmer from last year's team that went 8-3 in Big Sky play and advanced to the semifinals of the Big Sky tournament as the No. 4 seed. Bachanek was an All-Big Sky second-team selection last season, while Elmer was an All-Big Sky honorable mention.
• The Wildcats have five underclassmen on their seven-player roster, between four sophomores and one freshman.
• The Wildcats have varied their lineup quite a bit already this season, as they have played multiple players at all six singles lines. Caitlin Herb and Tereza Pilzova have traded off playing at lines one and two, with Herb 3-2 at line one while Pilzova 2-3 at line two. Besides those two, Morgan Dickason is the only other player with at least two wins in singles this season, as she's gone 2-3 at line four.
• The Wildcats have struggled in doubles so far this season, as they are just 4-14 combined as a team. Caitlin Herb and Tereza Pilzova account for three of the Wildcats' four doubles wins this season, as they've gone 3-3 together at line one.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES VERSUS WEBER STATE:
The Vikings trail the all-time series between them and the Wildcats, 3-13. The Vikings and Wildcats have frequently played close matches, however, as the last five matches between the teams have all been decided by 4-3 scores. The Vikings have not beaten the Wildcats in Ogden, as they are 0-7 all-time against the Wildcats on the road.
 
LAST TIME OUT:
The Vikings fell 7-0 on the road against Northern Arizona last Sunday. The Lumberjacks swept the Vikings in singles and doubles, and won all six singles matches in straight sets. The Vikings rallied back in the second sets in singles, though, especially at lines one and six where the Vikings' Tracy Dong and Taylor Rees came back to challenge their opponents to close out the match. Rees came back after losing the first set to NAU's Eirene Granville, 6-1, forcing a second-set tiebreaker before losing 6-1, 7-6 (2).
 
UPCOMING:
The Vikings return home for a match against Eastern Washington next Saturday, March 11. The Vikings host the Eagles at 1 p.m. (PT) at Club Green Meadows in Vancouver, Wash.
 
PREDA CHASING RECORDS AS A SENIOR:
Senior Sabina-Elena Preda's return to the Vikings' lineup against Montana State on Feb. 19 revitalized her chase up the record book in her final year at Portland State. Preda has played at line five since returning to the Vikings' lineup, but she ranks second all-time in wins at No. 4 singles, seven wins behind her former teammate Megan Govi, who set the record with 23 career wins at the position. Preda also took over third place all-time in Big Sky doubles wins with her win with Dobell against the Bobcats. The win gave Preda 14 career conference doubles wins, just three behind the record another former teammate of hers, Dané Vorster, set at 17 from 2014-16. Additionally, Preda ranks second all-time in Big Sky singles wins, and moved within two of the record with her 18th conference singles win Sunday. Govi set the record for Big Sky singles wins at 20, and Preda will have seven more Big Sky matches this season in which to match or break the record. Preda also tied the all-time record for wins at No. 2 doubles earlier this season, and will move out of a four-way tie for the record with Katie Slizewski, Lisa Bessman and Marina Todd with her next win.
 
NEWCOMERS:
The Vikings added three newcomers over the offseason – all of which come from Australia – in sophomore transfers Georgia Dobell and Brianna Thompson, and freshman Sally Partington. Thompson had the best fall season of the three newcomers in singles, as she went 3-4 with two of her three wins coming against Big Sky opponents. Partington, meanwhile, had the best fall season in doubles, as she went 5-3 in doubles, including a 3-0 mark against teams from Eastern Washington. Thompson spent her first year of college tennis at Charleston Southern, where she as a Big South All-Conference first-team selection in doubles, and a Big South All-Conference second-team selection in singles. Dobell played her first year of college tennis at Campbell University.
 
2016 SEASON RECAP:
Portland State had a tough year in 2016, going 6-9 overall and 5-6 in Big Sky play, and missed the Big Sky tournament for the first time since 2013. The Vikings stood at 4-3 in Big Sky play at one point, but a narrow 4-3 loss to Weber State in March was the first of a late-season three-match losing streak that knocked the Vikings out of tournament contention. The Vikings still pulled out some historic wins in 2016, however, including two 7-0 sweeps of conference opponents – the first two top-to-bottom sweeps of Big Sky opponents in program history. Additionally, the Vikings closed out their season with their first-ever win over perennial conference powerhouse Montana, as they beat the Grizzlies 6-1 on the Grizzlies' home court. The Vikings had never beaten either Montana or Montana State in the state of Montana before their win over the Grizzlies, and had also been 0-6 in road matches to that point in the season. Departed senior Dané Vorser also set the program record for Big Sky doubles wins (17), and broke her own single-season school record for Big Sky doubles wins along with then-freshman Taylor Rees. Fellow departed senior Kelsey Frey also left the program with the all-time lead in wins at No. 3 doubles (22), as she moved past her former doubles partner Megan Govi during the season.