Complete Match Notes (PDF)

PORTLAND, Ore. — Take a lasting look at this Portland State men's tennis team this weekend because it will be another month before Viking fans get a chance to see the team again. The Vikings host Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado this Friday and Saturday before taking a month-long road trip that won't see the Vikings return home until a March 23 match against Weber State.
 
The Vikings have used their home court to their advantage this season, as they are 5-1 at home so far, including 2-0 in Big Sky play.
 
The Vikings got their biggest win of the season at home last Friday, when they overcame a 3-1 deficit to Southern Utah to beat the Thunderbirds 4-3. Gabe Souza clinched the comeback victory for the Vikings with a comeback win of his own over SUU's Remus Cope at No. 6 singles. Souza trailed 5-3 in the second set and 3-0 in the third set against Cope, but came back to beat Cope 4-6, 7-6 (4), 7-5.
 
Souza's win followed three-sets wins from Avery West and Otto Holtari that brought the Vikings back level in the dual.
 
West had to shake off a frustrating second set to win his match against Agustin Tamagnone at line three. West led by two breaks at 4-1 in the second set after winning the first set, 6-2, but ended up losing the set, 7-5. West broke in the first game of the third set, however, and broke again for a 4-3 lead after Tamagnone got level once again. West then fought off two break points in his final service game to serve out the match with a 6-4 win in the third set.
 
Holtari, meanwhile, came back to beat Southern Utah's José Ortega in three sets after a poor start at line five. Holtari fell behind 5-2 in the first set, but came back to level the set before losing, 5-7. Holtari held up early advantages in each of the next two sets, however, and won the match 5-7, 6-2, 6-4.
 
Holtari also won his match in the team's dual against Army, giving the freshman four straight wins in singles and a team-high six singles wins on the year. Holtari already has four wins at No. 5 singles, which put him half way to matching the single-season school record that Wil Cochrane set with eight wins at the position in 2016.
 
Holtari and the Vikings face a stiff challenge against Northern Arizona this Friday, however, as the Lumberjacks return all eight of their letterwinners that led them to the Big Sky regular-season title last season. NAU went 10-1 in Big Sky play to win the conference during the regular season, but then lost a close, 4-3 match to fourth-seeded Montana in the Big Sky semifinals.
 
The Lumberjacks will be hungry to wipe that bitter taste out of their mouths when they open their Big Sky schedule against the Vikings Friday.
 
Among the Lumberjacks' returners was Tim Handel, who went undefeated in Big Sky play last season and dethroned the Vikings' Nathan Boniel as the Big Sky MVP at the end of the year. Handel and Boniel should face each other again Friday in a match that could decide the head-to-head between the two players. Each player beat the other during their MVP season, with Boniel beating Handel 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 in 2016, while Handel beat Boniel 6-2, 6-4 last season.
 
The Vikings' No. 1 doubles team of Avery West and Tommy Edwards should also face Handel and Ruben Montano in what should be a great match at the top of the doubles lineup. Handel and Montano were named to the All-Big Sky first team in doubles last season, and finished the year ranked fourth in the ITA Mountain region in doubles. Additionally, Handel and Montano won the doubles draw at the ITA Mountain Regional where they beat Idaho State's Peter Trhac and David Felix in the final.
 
West and Edwards beat Trhac and Felix 6-4 in their match against the Bengals earlier this season, giving both teams a win over a common opponent.
 
The Vikings' match against the Bears shouldn't get much easier, either, as the Bears already have a win over Eastern Washington – a team that has beaten the Vikings in eight straight matches – this season.
 
The Vikings face the Bears at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Club Green Meadows, after playing Northern Arizona at 10 a.m. Friday.
 
And then it's a lengthy trip on the road for the Vikings after that.
 
MATCH INFO:
Friday, Feb. 23 – vs. Northern Arizona – Vancouver, Wash. (Club Green Meadows) – 10 a.m.
Saturday, Feb. 24 – vs. Northern Colorado – Vancouver, Wash. (Club Green Meadows) – 4:30 p.m.
 
FOLLOW THE VIKINGS ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Fans can follow the Portland State men's tennis team all year on Twitter and Instagram at @psuviksMTN. Live updates from most home matches will be posted on that account.
 
SCOUTING NORTHERN ARIZONA:

• The Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (1-4, 0-0 Big Sky) will open their Big Sky schedule against the Vikings Friday. The Lumberjacks have played a difficult non-conference schedule that has included three matches against Power 5 schools in Utah, Arizona and Nebraska. The Lumberjacks lost all those matches, as well as a match against BYU, by a combined score of 2-23. The Lumberjacks beat New Mexico, 4-3, however, in a match where the Lumberjacks came back to win after losing the doubles point.
• The Lumberjacks won the Big Sky regular-season title last season, when they finished 15-9 overall and 10-1 in Big Sky play. The Lumberjacks lost 4-3 to fourth-seeded Montana in the Big Sky semifinals, however, in what was their first match of the Big Sky tournament.
• The Lumberjacks return all eight of their letterwinners from last season, including the 2017 Big Sky MVP and two-time All-Big Sky first-team selection Tim Handel. Handel also received All-Big Sky first-team honors in doubles with Ruben Montano, who earned All-Big Sky honorable mention in singles. Lucas Taylor also returns after earning All-Big Sky second-team honors in singles last season.
• Handel dethroned the Vikings' Nathan Boniel as the Big Sky MVP after going undefeated against Big Sky opponents last season. Handel has been playing at No. 1 singles again this season, though his stats have been a victim of the Lumberjacks' tough schedule as he's just 1-3 so far this season in singles.
• Handel finished last season as the 15th-ranked singles player in the ITA Mountain region, and ranked fourth in the region in doubles with Montano. Northern Arizona also finished last season as the ninth-ranked team in the ITA Mountain region.
• Handel and Montano won the ITA Mountain Regional during the fall season, beating Idaho State's Peter Trhac and David Felix – who the Vikings' Avery West and Tommy Edwards upset when Trhac and Felix were ranked 50th in the nation earlier this month – in the final. Handel also made the quarterfinals of the singles draw as the fifth-seeded player in the tournament.
• Chris Steele is the lone newcomer in the Lumberjacks' lineup this season, which otherwise features returners Handel (1-3 at No. 1), Taylor (1-3 at No. 2), Thomas Fisher (1-3 at No. 3), Felix Schumann (0-3 at No. 4) and Montano (2-2 at No. 6).

 
ALL-TIME SERIES VERSUS NORTHERN ARIZONA:
The Lumberjacks have dominated the Vikings in the past, as they've won 12 of their previous 14 matches against each other. The Vikings won their first match against NAU in 2013, and then added a second in their last home match against the Lumberjacks with a 6-1 win in 2016.
 
SCOUTING NORTHERN COLORADO:

• The Northern Colorado Bears (5-4, 1-2 Big Sky) have already played three Big Sky matches so far this season. The Bears beat Eastern Washington, 4-3, behind two three-set wins in singles, but lost 6-1 to Idaho and 5-2 to Sacramento State.
• The Bears have not played a match outside of the state of Colorado so far this season. The Bears will play their first match away from their home state on Friday, when they play at Seattle a day before facing the Vikings.
• The Bears went 8-13 overall and 3-8 in Big Sky play last season, when they were 8-4 at home but 0-9 away from home. The Vikings were one of the four teams to beat the Bears on their home court, as they beat the Bears, 4-3, on March 26.
• The Bears only return three players from their 2017 team in Connor Finerty (7-10 at No. 1 singles last season), Kyle Pease (8-9 at No. 2 singles last season) and Cassell King (5-12 at No. 6 singles). The Bears added transfers Michael Kritzinger and Nick Wade, as well as freshmen Alex Exsted, Ryan Hardin and Tommy Smalley.
• Finerty has returned to No. 1 singles for the Bears, and is 4-5 so far this season at the top of the lineup. Pease has also returned to line two where he's 4-4 this season and 2-1 in Big Sky play. Newcomers have filled out the rest of the lineup for the Bears, with Exsted – one of the three freshmen – sporting the best record on the team at 5-2 overall and 4-2 at No. 6 singles.
• Pease and Smalley have a 6-0 record together in doubles while playing at lines two and three.

 
ALL-TIME SERIES VERSUS NORTHERN COLORADO:
The Vikings lead the all-time series between them and the Bears, 6-4. The Vikings have won their last two matches against the Bears, after losing four straight to the Bears from 2012-15.
 
LAST TIME OUT:
The Vikings split their matches against Southern Utah and Army last weekend, beating the Thunderbirds 4-3 on Friday, before losing 6-1 to Army on Saturday. The Vikings' win over the Thunderbirds was the match of the season to date for the Vikings, as they came back from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Thunderbirds and improve to 2-0 in Big Sky play. Gabe Souza clinched the Vikings' comeback victory with a comeback win of his own over SUU's Remus Cope at No. 6 singles. Souza trailed 5-3 in the second set and 3-0 in the third set against Cope, but came back to win 4-6, 7-6 (4), 7-5. Souza's win followed three-sets wins from Avery West and Otto Holtari that brought the Vikings back level in the dual. West had to shake off a frustrating second set to win his match against Agustin Tamagnone at line three. West led by two breaks at 4-1 in the second set after winning the first set 6-2, but ended up losing the set, 7-5. West broke in the first game of the third set, however, and broke again for a 4-3 lead after Tamagnone got level once again. West then fought off two break points in his final service game to serve out the match with a 6-4 win in the third set. Holtari, meanwhile, came back from a poor start against Southern Utah's José Ortega at line five. Holtari fell behind 5-2 in the first set, but came back to level the set before losing, 5-7. Holtari held up early advantages in each of the next two sets, however, and won the match 5-7, 6-2, 6-4. Senior Nathan Boniel provided the first win for the Vikings in singles, as he dominated in a 6-2, 6-1 win over Southern Utah's Conor Tordoff at line one.
 
UPCOMING:
The Vikings begin a month-long road trip with a pair of matches in Seattle, Wash., next weekend. The Vikings play Seattle at 6 p.m. Friday, March 2, and then face Washington at 3 p.m. Saturday, March 3.
 
HOME SWEET HOME:
The Vikings have won five of their six home matches this season, with their only loss coming against an Army team that came into the match as the defending Patriot League champions. The Vikings have won both of their Big Sky matches at home so far this season, as they beat Idaho State 5-2 on Feb. 10 and followed that up with a 4-3 win over Southern Utah on Feb. 16. The Vikings overcame a 3-1 deficit in their win over Southern Utah, with Gabe Souza erasing deficits in both the second and third sets of his match to clinch the win at line six.
 
BONIEL'S ASSAULT ON THE PSU RECORD BOOKS:
Senior Nathan Boniel has established himself as the best singles player in the history of the Portland State men's tennis program with the records for overall singles wins (37), overall singles win percentage (.804), Big Sky singles wins (19), wins at No. 1 singles (37) and win percentage at No. 1 singles (.804). Boniel has been adding to those records this season, and has moved up the all-time doubles ranks as well. Boniel has moved up to 10th all time in overall doubles wins (22), and ranks fourth all time in overall doubles win percentage (.537). Additionally, Boniel ranks third in win percentage at No. 3 doubles (.588), and ranks sixth with 10 career wins at No. 3 doubles. Boniel also ranks tied for ninth all time with nine wins at No. 1 doubles, and ranks fifth with a .529 career win percentage at No. 1 doubles.
 
TOMMY BOY WONDER:
Sophomore Tommy Edwards is just over a year into his Viking career, but has peppered his name throughout the Vikings' record book in his short career so far. Edwards ranks second all time in win percentage at No. 2 singles (.455), and third all time in wins at No. 2 singles (10). Edwards has been an even more dominant doubles player, as he ranks second all time in overall doubles win percentage (.600), and third all time in win percentage at No. 1 doubles (.600). Edwards also ranks fourth all time with 15 career wins at No. 1 doubles, more than half way to the all time record of 26 that Chris Rice (2009-11) and Brent Wheeler (2013-16) currently share.
 
WESTWARDS – THE CELEBRITY COUPLE NAME WE CAN BELIEVE IN:
First there was Bennifer. Didn't last. Then there was TomKat. Didn't last. Brangelina. Didn't last. But with Tommy Edwards and Avery West teaming up for the Vikings in doubles – Westwards as they will henceforth be named – give us a pairing to believe in. Westwards upset the nationally ranked No. 1 doubles team from Idaho State on Feb. 10, beating the Bengals' Peter Trhac and David Felix 6-4. Trhac and Felix came into the match ranked 50th in the nation by the ITA, after making the finals of the ITA Mountain Regionals, as well as the round of 16 in the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships. The win over the nationally ranked team was one of six in a row for Westwards, who had their streak snapped in the team's last match against Army. Westwards also beat the No. 1 doubles team from UP in Mike Pervolarakis and Alex Wallace, whose only other loss in doubles to that point came against Old Dominion's No. 1 team that was ranked 22nd nationally by the ITA at the time. Pervolarakis also came into UP's match against the Vikings ranked 18th by the ITA in singles, and was named the 2017 WCC Player of the Year.
 
WINS ARE BECOMING OTTO-MATIC:
Freshman Otto Holtari has developed into the Vikings' most reliable player in singles, as he leads the team with six singles wins to go along with a team-best 6-1 record in singles. Holtari has won four matches in a row, all of which have come at No. 5 singles where he's 4-1 this season. Holtari's four wins at line five already rank him half way to the single-season school record for wins at the position, which Wil Cochrane set with eight wins in 2016.
 
2017 SEASON RECAP:
Nathan Boniel had another stellar season – going 13-5 at line one and 8-3 in Big Sky matches – but the Vikings finished 4-14 overall and 2-9 in Big Sky play, and never challenged for a spot in the Big Sky tournament like they did in 2016. Tommy Edwards boosted the Vikings with his play as a freshman at line two, where he went 8-7 while playing against much older players. Edwards also went 6-5 in Big Sky play, and teamed up with Boniel to go 9-8 while playing at line one doubles together during the season.