RESULTS - PDF | HTML

VANCOUVER, Wash. — 4-3 matches have a way of finding the Vikings. The Portland State men's tennis team played its third straight 4-3 match and fifth of the season against Weber State Friday at Club Green Meadows, but the novelty of that wore thin for the Vikings as they ended up on the wrong end of the 4-3 score line against the Wildcats.
 
The Wildcats (8-9, 5-3 Big Sky) jump ahead of the Vikings (9-7, 4-3 Big Sky) in the Big Sky standings with the win, but the Vikings remain in position to qualify for the Big Sky tournament for the first time ever on merit. The Vikings stand six in the Big Sky after Friday's match and will play the team right behind them in the standings in Sacramento State next weekend.
 
"It was an important match today and I thought we played really well in the doubles on all three courts, and it was great to get the doubles point," PSU head coach Toby Krauel said. "[Weber State] is a deep team. They don't really drop off. They're solid. They competed really hard in the singles. We had some really good efforts. Nathan [Boniel] had a tough match at one. On these fast courts – he was playing a guy with a huge serve and volley game and he battled to the end. Avery [West] played a great match, and Sam [Roberts], who has struggled in third sets this year, won a tight three-setter.
 
"We just had a couple of spots where we need to get guys playing a little bit better. But it was a 4-3 match and it could have gone either way. I'm proud of the way the guys competed and were classy on the court. Just proud of how they handled themselves and how they represented us."
 
The Vikings got off to a strong start against the Wildcats, as they swept the matches at lines one and two in doubles to take the doubles point.
 
Avery West and Tommy Edwards played a tight match against Weber State's Stefan Cooper and Kris Van Wyk at line one where neither team could break the other. West and Edwards broke at just the right time, however, as they broke Cooper and Van Wyk in the 10th game of the match to win 6-4.
 
Nathan Boniel and Gabe Souza had a more back-and-forth match against Weber State's Michiel Van Schoor and Cezary Walkusz at line two, but remained in the lead throughout. Boniel and Souza broke to go up 3-1 early in the match, but Van Schoor and Walkusz broke back a couple of games later to get to 4-3. Boniel and Souza responded with another break to go up 5-3, but then fell into a 15-40 hole while serving for the match in the following game. Boniel saved three break points to serve out the match, 6-3, however, which clinched the doubles point for the Vikings.
 
Sam Roberts and Majeed Bukhari nearly gave the Vikings a doubles sweep with a win at line three, but got broken while serving for the match at 5-4. The teams then went to a tiebreaker at 5-all with the doubles point already decided, and Weber State's Hou-En Chen and Nick Werner won the tiebreaker, 7-4.
 
The Wildcats came out strong in singles, winning the first sets in three of the five opening matches. Chen ran away with the match against Portland State's Otto Holtari at line four, winning 6-3, 6-0 to level the dual at 1-all.
 
West put the Vikings back up 2-1 a little later with a straight sets win over Werner at line three. West ran out to a 3-0 lead in the first set against Werner, but then gave the break back as Werner got back on serve at 3-2. West won the final three games to take the first set, 6-2, but then couldn't find a break in the second set. West found the break at just the right time, however, breaking in the 10th game of the set – just like he did in doubles – to close out a 6-2, 6-4 win.
 
West has now won eight matches at line three this season, tying him for the second-best single-season win total at the position in program history. West's 8-3 record at line three would also set a new single-season school record for winning percentage at the position if the season were to end today.
 
The Wildcats leveled the match again with a 6-3, 6-4 win at line two, and then went up 3-2 after Cooper beat Boniel 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 at line one.
 
Roberts brought the Vikings back level with a three-set win at line five, but the Wildcats' Bo-Han Li closed out the dual for Weber State with a straight-sets win at line six.
 
Roberts' win snapped a four-match losing streak for the Viking freshman. Roberts and Van Schoor traded four straight breaks in the middle of the first set of their match before going to a tiebreaker. Van Schoor ran out to a 4-2 lead at the changeover in the first-set tiebreaker, but Roberts won the final five points to take the set, 7-6 (4).
 
Van Schoor broke to open the second set, but Roberts got the break back a few games later to get to 2-all. Van Schoor broke again to go up 4-3 in the second set, and then finished the set with another break to win, 6-3.
 
Roberts took the early advantage in the third set, breaking in the first game and then getting a second break two games later to go up 3-0. Van Schoor held in his third service game of the set, but Roberts kept up the pressure while holding serve throughout the set and broke Van Schoor in the final game to take the match, 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-1.
 
The Vikings hit the rode for two matches next week at Sonoma State and Sacramento State. The Vikings play Sonoma State in Rohnert Park, Calif., at 10 a.m. Thursday, March 29. The Vikings will then return to Big Sky play at Sacramento State Saturday, March 31, at 1:30 p.m.

Weber State 4, Portland State 3
03/23/18 at Vancouver, Wash. (Club Green Meadows) 

Singles competition

1. COOPER, Stefan (WSU) def. BONIEL, Nathan (PSU) 6-4, 2-6, 6-4

2. VAN WYK, Kris (WSU) def. EDWARDS, Tommy (PSU) 6-3, 6-4

3. WEST, Avery (PSU) def. WERNER, Nick (WSU) 6-2, 6-4

4. CHEN, Hou-En (WSU) def. HOLTARI, Otto (PSU) 6-3, 6-0

5. ROBERTS, Sam (PSU) def. VAN SCHOOR, Michiel (WSU) 7-6 (7-4), 3-6, 6-1

6. LI, Bo-Han (WSU) def. BUKHARI, Majeed (PSU) 6-3, 6-1

 

Doubles competition

1. EDWARDS, Tommy/WEST, Avery (PSU) def. COOPER, Stefan/VAN WYK, Kris (WSU) 6-4

2. BONIEL, Nathan/SOUZA, Gabe (PSU) def. VAN SCHOOR, Michiel/WALKUSZ, Cezary (WSU) 6-3

3. CHEN, Hou-En/WERNER, Nick (WSU) def. ROBERTS, Sam/BUKHARI, Majeed (PSU) 6-5 (7-4)

 

Match Notes

Weber State 8-9, 5-3 BSC

Portland State 9-7, 4-3 BSC

Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (4,3,2,1,5,6)