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PHOENIX, Ariz. — The Portland State men's tennis team got a dry run – literally – at what's to come at the Big Sky tournament later this week, as the Vikings beat Arizona Christian 6-1 Tuesday amidst the heat at the Phoenix Tennis Center – the same facility that will host the conference tournament.
 
The Vikings (13-9) battled through 96-degree weather to beat the Firestorm (18-7), which came into the match ranked 10th in the NAIA after winning the Golden State Athletic Conference tournament title last weekend. Highs will be in the upper 90s again for the Big Sky tournament later in the week, making Tuesday's win in those same conditions a perfect dress rehearsal for Vikings ahead of the tournament.
 
The win also afforded the Vikings the chance to set a couple more program records before going into their first postseason since 2003. The Vikings' win over Arizona Christian gave them their 13th overall win of the season, breaking the program record for wins in a season that the 2016 team set at 12.
 
Additionally, Avery West and Tommy Edwards each broke the single-season program record for wins at No. 1 doubles by an individual, as they both recorded their 15th win of the season at the position – all of which have come with the other player. West and Edwards also both tied the individual record for overall doubles wins in a season, which Abhinav Mishra set originally with 15 wins in 2013.
 
West and Edwards beat the Firestorm's Enzo Douillac and Jesse Miritello 7-5 at No. 1 doubles, improving their record together this season to 15-6. West and Edwards' 15 wins together set the single-season program records for overall doubles wins and wins at No. 1 doubles by a doubles team, and the pair would also set the record for win percentage at No. 1 doubles at .714 if the season ended today.
 
Sam Roberts and Majeed Bukhari added a 6-3 win over Arizona Christian's Marcelo Balderrama and Scott Wheeler at No. 3 doubles to clinch the doubles point for the Vikings. Roberts and Bukhari improved to 5-6 on the year with the win, with all of their matches coming at line three.
 
Otto Holtari played the most dominant match in singles for the Vikings, beating the Firestorm's Scott Wheeler 6-1, 6-2 at line five. The win gave Holtari his seventh victory of the season at line five, moving him within one win of tying the single-season record that Wil Cochrane set at eight in 2016.
 
Nathan Boniel and Gabe Souza also won in straight sets for the Vikings at lines one and six, respectively. Boniel beat Arizona Christian's Enzo Douillac – an All-GSAC selection – 6-4, 6-2 for his team-leading 13th win of the season. Souza, meanwhile, beat Arizona Christian's Theo Preiswerk 6-4, 7-5 at line six for his sixth win in his last seven singles matches.
 
West and Roberts won their matches at lines two and four, respectively, in 10-point match tiebreakers. West played a dominant second set, 6-0, against Arizona Christian's Alberto Lapiedra – another All-GSAC selection – and held the advantage in the match tiebreaker for a 3-6, 6-0, 1-0 (10-6) win. Roberts also lost the first set of his match against Arizona Christian's Marcelo Balderrama before coming back with a 6-3 win in the second set. Balderrama recovered to play a close, 10-point tiebreaker against Roberts, but Roberts pulled it out, 11-9, for a 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 (11-9) win.
 
The Vikings open the Big Sky tournament in the quarterfinals against fourth-seeded Weber State Thursday at 2:30 p.m. The winner of that match will advance to the semifinals against either No. 1-seeded Idaho or No. 2-seeded Northern Arizona Friday, depending on the seeding of the other quarterfinal winner Thursday.

Portland State 6, Arizona Christian 1
Apr 24, 2018 at Phoenix, Ariz. (Phoenix Tennis Center) 

Singles competition

1. BONIEL, Nathan (PSU) def. DOUILLAC, Enzo (ACUF) 6-4, 6-2

2. WEST, Avery (PSU) def. LAPIEDRA, Alberto (ACUF) 3-6, 6-0, 1-0 (10-6)

3. SUPERLANO, Daniel (ACUF) def. EDWARDS, Tommy (PSU) 6-4, 6-4

4. ROBERTS, Sam (PSU) def. BALDERRAMA, Marcelo (ACUF) 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 (11-9)

5. HOLTARI, Otto (PSU) def. WHEELER, Scott (ACUF) 6-1, 6-2

6. SOUZA, Gabe (PSU) def. PREISWERK, Theo (ACUF) 6-4, 7-5

 

Doubles competition

1. WEST, Avery/EDWARDS, Tommy (PSU) def. DOUILLAC, Enzo/MIRITELLO, Jesse (ACUF) 7-5

2. LAPIEDRA, Alberto/SUPERLANO, Daniel (ACUF) vs. BONIEL, Nathan/SOUZA, Gabe (PSU) 5-5, unfinished

3. ROBERTS, Sam/BUKHARI, Majeed (PSU) def. BALDERRAMA, Marcelo/WHEELER, Scott (ACUF) 6-3

 

Match Notes

Portland State 13-9

Arizona Christian 18-7