Complete Match Notes (PDF)

PORTLAND, Ore. — Montana may be called Big Sky country, but it may as well be one of the circles of hell for the Portland State women's tennis team, which takes a poor record in the state into a pair of road matches against Montana and Montana State this Saturday and Sunday.
 
The Vikings lost seven straight matches to the Grizzlies and Bobcats in the state of Montana before breaking through with their first win in the state against the two Big Sky rivals with a 6-1 win over Montana in 2016.
 
That win came in the Vikings' last trip to the state, and the Vikings will be looking for more of that against the Grizzlies this Saturday.
 
The Vikings doubled down on that win with a second straight against the Grizzlies last season, when they won 4-3 at home for their first win of the season. The Vikings took the doubles point off the Grizzlies with wins at lines one and two in that match, and then won three matches in singles – two of which came in three sets.
 
The win over the Grizzlies was a rare 4-3 triumph for the Vikings last season, as close, 4-3 losses tormented the Vikings all season.
 
One of those painful 4-3 losses came to the Bobcats, who came back after losing the doubles point to the Vikings to win four of the six singles matches. The Vikings went up 3-1 on the Bobcats in that match, but the Bobcats won the final three singles matches to edge the Vikings.
 
The Bobcats will be a completely different team when the Vikings face them Sunday, however, as only one of the six singles players who played against the Vikings last season returned for the Bobcats over the offseason. Angelina Philippova is the lone returner for the Bobcats, after going 12-7 at No. 4 singles last season.
 
The Bobcats lost 2017 Big Sky Co-Freshman of the Year Chloe Goyette, after she transferred to Big Sky-rival Idaho during the offseason. Goyette was an All-Big Sky first-team selection in singles last season, as well as a first-team selection in doubles with departed senior Laura Middel. Naomi Holopainen was also an All-Big Sky honorable mention for the Bobcats in 2017, but graduated out of the program after the year.
 
The Grizzlies do not have the same problem as the Bobcats, and appear ready to put two bad seasons behind them in 2018. The Grizzlies had never missed the Big Sky tournament before 2016, but have missed the conference tournament after each of the past two seasons.
 
The Grizzlies have balanced youth and experience in their lineup so far this season. Seniors Cam Kincaid and Catherine Orfanos, along with junior Nathalie Joanlanne have all played in all five matches for the Grizzlies so far this season. Freshmen Julia Ronney, Bianca Bostrom and Elmear Maher have joined the Grizzlies' experienced players in the lineup, with Ronney playing four of the team's first five matches at line one.
 
The Vikings will start the weekend against the Grizzlies Saturday, with their match starting at 9 a.m. (MT) at the Lindsay Tennis Center in Missoula, Mont. The Vikings will then face Montana State Sunday at the Bobcat-Anderson Tennis Center in Bozeman, Mont., at 9 a.m. (MT).
 
MATCH INFO:
Saturday, Feb. 10 – at Montana – Missoula, Mont. (Lindsay Tennis Center) – 9 a.m. (MT)
Sunday, Feb. 11 – at Montana State – Bozeman, Mont. (Bobcat-Anderson Tennis Center) – 9 a.m. (MT)
 
FOLLOW THE VIKINGS ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Fans can follow the Portland State women's tennis team all year on Twitter and Instagram at @psuviksWTN. Live updates from most home matches will be posted on that account.
 
SCOUTING MONTANA:

• The Montana Grizzlies (2-3) will open their Big Sky schedule against the Vikings Saturday. The Grizzlies beat Montana State 6-1 on the road in a non-conference match last Friday, and followed it up with a 5-2 win over Seattle in Bozeman, Mont., the day after.
• The Grizzlies have had down years in each of the past two seasons. The Grizzlies went 3-19 and 2-9 in Big Sky play last season, and 4-17 overall and 3-8 in Big Sky play in 2016. The Grizzlies had never missed the Big Sky tournament before 2016, but have missed the conference tournament after each of the past two seasons.
• The Grizzlies have an experienced team with seniors Cam Kincaid and Catherine Orfanos, junior Nathalie Joanlanne and sophomore Milica Panic all returning.
• The Grizzlies have also played their three freshmen in all five of their matches so far this season, including Julia Ronney, who has played at No. 1 singles for four of the team's five matches so far. Besides her, freshman Bianca Bostrom has played at lines three, four and five for the Grizzlies in singles, while fellow freshman Elmear Maher has played all five matches at line six.
• The Grizzlies have won the doubles point in just one match so far this season, which was the Vikings' win over the Bobcats last weekend. The Grizzlies came back to beat Seattle, 5-2, with wins in five of the six singles matches despite losing the doubles point to the Redhawks.

 
ALL-TIME SERIES VERSUS MONTANA:
The Vikings have won two in a row against Montana after losing 15 straight to the Grizzlies to start the series. The Vikings' first win over Montana came via a 6-1 victory in Missoula in 2016, which was also the Vikings' first-ever win against Montana or Montana State in the state of Montana. The Grizzlies still lead the all-time series between them and the Vikings, 15-2.
 
SCOUTING MONTANA STATE:

• The Montana State Bobcats (1-4) beat Lewis-Clark State 6-1 to start the season, but have lost four straight matches since then. The Bobcats lost a close, 4-3 match to Seattle last Sunday, as the teams split the six singles matches while Seattle won two of the three doubles matches.
• The Bobcats had a standout season last year, going 14-6 overall and 9-2 in Big Sky play. The Bobcats beat North Dakota 4-0 in the quarterfinals of the Big Sky tournament, but then lost 4-1 to eventual-champion Idaho in the semifinals.
• The Bobcats lost all but one of their regular singles players from last season, including Big Sky Co-Freshman of the Year and All-Big Sky first-team selection in singles Chloe Goyette. The Bobcats also lost Laura Middel, who split time with Goyette at No. 1 singles and earned All-Big Sky first-team honors in doubles with Goyette last season. Naomi Holopainen, another departed senior, was also named an All-Big Sky honorable mention in singles while going 11-8 at line three for the Bobcats.
• Senior Angelina Philippova is the lone returner for the Bobcats from last season, after she went 12-7 at No. 4 singles.
• Besides Philippova, the Bobcats brought in five freshmen while sophomore Laura May joined the team as a transfer from Coastal Carolina. Sophomore Linda Vink also returns for the Bobcats after a redshirt season in 2017.

 
ALL-TIME SERIES VERSUS MONTANA STATE:
The Bobcats lead the all-time series between them and the Vikings, 9-2. The Vikings won two straight against the Bobcats in 2014 and 2015, but have lost two in a row since then. The Bobcats beat the Vikings 4-3 in a close match last season in which they came back after losing the doubles point to win four of the six singles matches.
 
LAST TIME OUT:
The Vikings showed fight despite being shorthanded for a third straight match to start the season in a 6-1 loss to cross-town rival University of Portland. Sophomore newcomer Eszter Zador gave the Vikings their lone point against the Pilots with a dominant 6-2, 6-2 win at line three. The Vikings also found themselves in battles at lines one and two in singles, after Alli Valk and Siena Peri battled back from early deficits in each match. Peri fell behind 3-0 at the start of her match against UP's Radina Dimitrova, but then rattled off four games in a row and was serving with a break lead at 4-3. Dimitrova got the break back, however, and then broke again with Peri serving at 5-6 to take the first set. Peri couldn't find her way into the second set after that and lost 7-5, 6-1 to Dimitrova. Valk, meanwhile, fell behind 4-1 in the first set against UP's Jelena Lukic, but then broke back to get back on serve at 4-3. Valk got broken in the final game of the first set to lose, 7-5, like Peri, and then fell behind 3-0 early in the second set. Valk rebounded to win four straight games and go up a break at 4-3, and then had two chances to serve for the second set at 5-4 and 6-5. Lukic broke Valk at deuce both times, however, and then took six of the final seven points in the ensuing second-set tiebreaker to sneak by Valk, 7-5, 7-6 (6).
 
UPCOMING:
The Vikings take a week off before returning to action with a home match against Idaho State Saturday, Feb. 24. The Vikings will host the Bengals at 11:30 a.m. at Club Green Meadows in Vancouver, Wash.
 
ZSA ZSA ZADOR:
Sophomore newcomer Eszter Zador has won two of her first three singles matches for the Vikings during the 2018 dual season. Zador has been dominant in her two wins for the Vikings, as she has won both matches in straight sets. Zador beat UC Davis' Kristina Breisacher 6-3, 6-2 at line two on Jan. 20, and beat Portland's Raphaelle Leblanc 6-2, 6-2 at line three on Feb. 2. Zador also helped the Vikings claim the doubles point against South Dakota with a win at line two on Jan. 21. Zador and Ashley Knecht beat South Dakota's Jana Lazarevic and Nanette Nylund 7-6 (4).
 
2017 SEASON RECAP:
The Vikings won four of their last six matches of the 2017 season, but an 0-10 start to the year doomed them as they finished tied for ninth in the Big Sky Conference. The Vikings beat Montana, 4-3, for their first win of the season on March 26 – the Vikings' second straight win over Montana after they had lost 15 straight to the Grizzlies to start their head-to-head. The Vikings then beat Southern Utah, 5-2, on the road next weekend, April 1, before finishing the year with back-to-back wins over Sacramento State and Bellevue College on April 15 and 16, respectively. The Vikings beat Sacramento State, 4-3, on their Senior Day – the Vikings' first win over the Hornets in program history. The Vikings had been 0-16 all time against the Hornets heading into the match, but won behind a doubles sweep and singles wins from then-seniors Tracy Dong and Sabina-Elena Preda, and then-sophomore Taylor Rees. Six of the Vikings' 11 Big Sky matches were decided by 4-3 scores during the season, with the Vikings 2-4 in those matches.