Complete Match Notes (PDF)

PORTLAND, Ore. — Records have fallen over the last two weekends for the Portland State men's tennis team, and more could fall this weekend, as the Vikings play Northern Arizona and Southern Utah on the road this Saturday and Sunday.
 
Junior Nathan Boniel has been the primary record breaker for the Vikings to this point, as he's broken the career records for overall singles wins, wins at No. 1 singles and Big Sky singles wins over the last two weekends, giving him five career records overall. Freshman Tommy Edwards has the chance to take over the record-breaking role this weekend, however, as the first-year player could set the single-season record for wins at No. 2 singles with a pair of wins.
 
If Edwards wins both his matches, then that will give him 10 wins at line two in singles, breaking the current record of nine that Alex VanDerschelden set in 2010. If Edwards splits his matches this weekend, then he'll tie the record and will have a final chance to break it in the Vikings' regular-season finale against Idaho on April 22.
 
Outside of Edwards' record chasing, Saturday's match against Northern Arizona will also feature one of the best individual matches of the Big Sky season at line one in singles. Boniel will face Northern Arizona's Tim Handel at line one, pitting two All-Big Sky first-team selections against each other. Handel will also take an undefeated, 7-0 record in Big Sky matches into his matchup with Boniel, who holds a 7-1 record in conference matches himself.
 
Boniel and Handel played each other last season, with Boniel winning in three sets, 6-2, 4-6, 6-1. That match was one of only two Big Sky losses for Handel last season, as Handel went 8-2 in conference matches while playing at line one as a freshman.
 
Boniel already won one rematch against an All-Big Sky first-team selection this season when he beat Eastern Washington's Robert Dula in straight sets, 6-3, 7-6 (1).
 
The Vikings and Lumberjacks will face off at 10 a.m. (PT) Saturday, while the Vikings' match against Southern Utah will start at 11 a.m. (MT) Sunday.
 
MATCH INFO:
April 8 – at Northern Arizona – Flagstaff, Ariz. (Aquatic and Tennis Complex) – 10 a.m. (PT)
April 9 – at Southern Utah – Cedar City, Utah (Thunderbird Tennis Courts) – 11 a.m. (MT)
 
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 NORTHERN ARIZONA:
• The Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (11-7, 6-1 Big Sky) had its undefeated Big Sky record snapped last Sunday, as Sacramento State beat the Lumberjacks 6-1. That loss broke up a 6-0 start to the Big Sky schedule for the Lumberjacks – a run that included 4-3 wins over Montana, Idaho and Weber State, and the only Big Sky loss to date for Montana State. The Lumberjacks had won six matches in a row before their loss to Sacramento State, including five straight wins at home to run their home record to 5-0 this season.
• The Lumberjacks' success this season has come despite a relatively young roster with no seniors and only two players with more than a year of experience within the program. Seven of the Lumberjacks' 11 players are freshmen or sophomores, including Tim Handel, who earned All-Big Sky first-team honors as a freshman last season.
• Handel and Portland State's Nathan Boniel will highlight the match between the Lumberjacks and the Vikings at the top, as they should be set up for a rematch at line one in singles. Boniel beat Handel in three sets at home last season, winning 6-2, 4-6, 6-1. Handel carries an undefeated, 7-0 record in Big Sky matches into the weekend, however, while Boniel is 7-1 in conference matches. Handel and sophomore Ruben Montano are also undefeated in doubles this season, as they carry a 9-0 record this season at line two going into the weekend.
• Outside of Handel, the Lumberjacks have played three different players at all other lines in singles, making the rest of the matchups between the Vikings and Lumberjacks less sure. Despite the volatility, the Lumberjacks have a strong record in singles as a team with a 56-44 combined record, including a 28-14 combined record in Big Sky matches.
• The Lumberjacks have been less consistent in doubles, where they are 24-24 combined as a team. The Lumberjacks have been better in Big Sky matches, going 12-7 in Big Sky matches, but six of those 12 wins have come from Handel and Montano.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES VERSUS NORTHERN ARIZONA:
The Vikings trail the all-time series versus Northern Arizona, 2-11, but beat the Lumberjacks 6-1 at home last season. The Vikings also beat the Lumberjacks, 4-3, in 2013 for their only road win against the Lumberjacks.
 
SCOUTING SOUTHERN UTAH:
• The Southern Utah Thunderbirds (4-14, 1-8 Big Sky) come into the weekend on a five-match losing streak, but pulled off a shocking upset before that with a 4-3 win over the then-Big Sky-leading Idaho Vandals on March 14. The Thunderbirds had the benefit of Idaho forfeiting the matches at line three doubles and line six singles, but still had to pull out a few matches to earn the upset. The dual came down to line five, where Southern Utah's Cedric Rupa shook off a second-set loss to win an extended third-set tiebreaker, 10-8, and clinch the dual with a 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (8) win.
• The win over the Vandals gave the Thunderbirds their program's first Big Sky win since the Thunderbirds joined the Big Sky Conference ahead of the 2013 dual season.
• The Thunderbirds have an extremely young team with only one player back from their 2016 team in Ben Yeacker, who still only has one year of experience.
• Conor Tordoff has gone 4-13 at line one in singles this season, but the Thunderbirds have changed things up behind him. Three of more players have played at the other five lines in singles, and every player on the roster has played at two different lines, at least.
• Cedric Rupa leads the team with four Big Sky singles wins this season, which accounts for half of the team's eighth conference wins this season.
• Guy Feign has a 9-5 record at line three this season, but is just 1-7 in Big Sky matches.
• The Thunderbirds have had dramatic volatility in doubles, as 14 different doubles teams have played in the team's 18 dual-season matches. Only one doubles team has played more than six matches together this season, and that team – Rupa and Tordoff – have played at all three lines in doubles.
• The Thunderbirds are 16-35 combined as a team in doubles matches this season, including a 7-19 combined record in Big Sky matches.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES VERSUS SOUTHERN UTAH:
The Vikings are 4-0 all-time against Southern Utah, and three of those four wins have come by 7-0 scores. The Vikings are 2-0 in Cedar City, too, having won there in 2013 and 2015.
 
LAST TIME OUT:
The Vikings lost a pair of matches to Idaho State and Weber State on the road last weekend, despite sweeping the matches at the top of the singles lineup. Junior Nathan Boniel and freshman Tommy Edwards swept their singles matches over the weekend, and senior Scott Goldner added a third win against Idaho State on Friday, but none of it was enough to pull out a win. Boniel won both his matches in straight sets, and broke the Portland State career record for Big Sky singles wins with his 6-2, 6-3 win over Weber State's Shao-Po Yin on Saturday. Edwards, meanwhile, had the win of the weekend, as the Viking freshman beat Weber State's Stefan Cooper – an All-Big Sky first-team selection who went 11-0 in Big Sky matches in 2016 – in three sets, 6-4, 0-6, 7-5. Goldner won his first match at line three in the Vikings' match against Idaho State, beating the Bengals' Josh Goodwin 6-4, 7-5.
 
UPCOMING:
The Vikings take a week off before closing out their 2017 season at home against Idaho on April 22. The Vikings and Vandals will play at 12 p.m. on the 22nd at Club Green Meadows in Vancouver, Wash.
 
BONIEL DEFINITIVELY CLAIMS TITLE OF GREATEST OF ALL TIME:
Junior Nathan Boniel completed the best season in program history last season with records for overall singles wins (19), overall singles win percentage (.950) and Big Sky singles wins (9), and has now taken over the claim as the greatest player of all time within the Portland State men's tennis program. Boniel broke the career records for overall singles wins and wins at No. 1 singles with his 29th career win in the Vikings' match against Northern Colorado on March 26, and broke the career record for Big Sky singles wins in the Vikings' match against Weber State on April 1. Boniel also already holds the records for overall singles win percentage and win percentage at No. 1 singles. Boniel holds both win percentage records by a wide margin, as his .886 win percentage in both categories leads Chris Rice's old records of .509 by close to 400 percentage points. Boniel ranks well in doubles, as well, as he holds the second-best overall win percentage all-time at .581.
 
TOMMY BOY WONDER:
Freshmen Tommy Edwards has been a bright spot for the Vikings in his first year 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 second on the team behind Boniel with 10 singles wins, eight of which have come in straight sets. Edwards has frequently faced older opponents at line two, as well, but has fared well against them, including last weekend when he beat Idaho State's Quentin Wacquez – a senior – and Weber State's Stefan Cooper – a junior and 2016 All-Big Sky first-team selection. Edwards now has eight wins at line two in singles this season, one behind the single-season record that Alex VanDerschelden set at nine in 2010. Edwards has also gone 9-6 with Boniel at line one in doubles, and had won seven straight matches with Boniel before last weekend. With nine wins at line one in doubles this season, Edwards already ranks tied for the fifth-most wins at the position in a single season, five behind the record Brent Wheeler set at 14 last season.
 
LOPEZ SEEKING RECORDS IN FINAL YEAR AT PORTLAND STATE:
Senior Ethan Lopez is in the final year of his three-year Portland State career, and could cement his legacy as one of the greatest players of all time with a successful senior season. Lopez currently ranks tied for sixth all-time in career singles wins with 24, just one win behind moving into a tie for fourth all-time with Kyle Erickson (2008-10) and Lopez's former teammate, Wil Cochrane (2013-16). Lopez also ranks third all-time in career singles win percentage at .444, and ranks fourth all-time in career Big Sky singles wins with 11. Additionally, Lopez has been one of the best doubles players in school history throughout his career, having set the record for wins by a doubles team with former teammate Brent Wheeler last season. Lopez also ranks tied for fifth all-time with 27 career individual doubles wins, and ranks fourth all-time in career doubles win percentage at .529.
 
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).