Complete Match Notes (PDF)

PORTLAND, Ore. —They made it. The Vikings are in Phoenix for the Big Sky Tournament, April 26-28.
 
History made.
 
No Viking team had ever made the Big Sky tournament under the current format, and only one other team had ever made the postseason, which came when the Vikings were handed a bid as the pre-determined conference-tournament hosts in 2003.
 
The challenge now becomes for the Vikings to not just be satisfied with that.
 
The Vikings open the Big Sky tournament against fourth-seeded Weber State – a team that beat the Vikings 4-3 at home on March 23. That match may serve as enough motivation by itself to knock any sense of satisfaction out of the Vikings. The Wildcats came back to beat the Vikings after losing the doubles point, as they won the matches at lines one, two, four and six in singles.
 
The Vikings can also take encouragement from that match, however, as they were just a set away from a win at line one that would have flipped the match in their favor. Stefan Cooper beat the Vikings' Nathan Boniel 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 at line one, and Bo-Han Li followed with a straight-sets win at line six to clinch the match for the Wildcats.
 
Doubles was a strength for the Vikings in their previous match against the Wildcats, and should be a key again Thursday. The Vikings won the doubles point with wins at lines one and two against the Wildcats, and only lost the match at line three after the teams decided to play a tiebreaker at 5-all in an effort to shorten the match.
 
Conversely, the Wildcats have struggled at times in doubles as they are 21-35 overall as a team, including a 12-19 record against Big Sky opponents. The Wildcats' most successful doubles team has been Cooper and Kris Van Wyk – the 2017 Big Sky Freshman of the Year – who are 8-6 while playing at line one together this season.
 
Avery West and Tommy Edwards beat Cooper and Van Wyk 6-4 in the teams' match earlier this season, and will take momentum with them into their quarterfinal match Thursday. West and Edwards have won five of their last six completed matches together, and sport a league-best 15 doubles wins this season.
 
West and Edwards' 15 doubles wins set new single-season records for overall wins and wins at No. 1 doubles by a doubles team, while both players tied for the individual records in both categories. West and Edwards would also set the single-season school record for win percentage at No. 1 doubles at .714 if the season ended today.
 
West also beat Weber State's Nick Werner 6-2, 6-4 at line three in singles earlier this season. Sam Roberts won the other match for the Vikings in singles, as he beat Weber State's Michiel Van Schoor 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-1 at line five.
 
Roberts moved up to line four immediately after that match, and set the single-season school record for wins at the position with his seventh of the season in the Vikings' match against Montana State on April 13.
 
A wild card in the Vikings' rematch against the Wildcats could be Gabe Souza, who did not play in singles when the Vikings last faced them in March. Souza returned to the Vikings' singles lineup in the team's next match, and won five of his final six matches of the season.
 
Souza broke the single-season school record for wins at line six with seven this season, and would break the school record for win percentage at No. 6 singles if the season ended today.
 
Should the Vikings beat Weber State Thursday, they'll advance to the semifinals Friday against a still-to-be-determined opponent. No. 2 Northern Arizona will face the best-seeded team remaining in the field in one semifinal Friday, while No. 1 Idaho will face the worst-seeded team in the other semifinal.
 
MATCH INFO:
Thursday, April 26 – Big Sky Quarterfinals vs. No. 4 Weber State – Phoenix, Ariz. (Phoenix Tennis Center) – 2:30 p.m. (PT)
Friday, April 27 – Big Sky Semifinals vs. TBD – Phoenix, Ariz. (Phoenix Tennis Center) – TBD
Saturday, April 28 – Big Sky Championship vs. TBD – Phoenix, Ariz. (Phoenix Tennis Center) – 1 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 WEBER STATE:

• The Weber State Wildcats (11-9) beat the Vikings 4-3 on the Vikings' home court on March 23. The Vikings took the doubles point from the Wildcats with wins at lines one and two, but the Wildcats came back to win after taking four of the six singles matches. Bo-Han Li clinched the dual for the Wildcats with a 6-3, 6-1 win over the Vikings' Majeed Bukhari at line six.
• The Wildcats closed the regular season on a five-match win streak, including their win over the Vikings on March 23. The Wildcats' 4-3 win over the Vikings was one of three 4-3 wins during the Wildcats' five-match win streak, as they also beat Montana and Sacramento State, 4-3, at home on March 29 and April 7, respectively.
• The Wildcats' best win of the regular season came against Northern Arizona at home on April 1. The Wildcats swept NAU, 7-0, in the match, handing the Lumberjacks one of their only two Big Sky Conference losses of the season.
• The Wildcats started the season 1-3 in Big Sky play, with 4-3 losses coming to Montana State and Eastern Washington – two teams the Vikings beat this season – and a 6-1 loss to regular-season champion Idaho.
• The Wildcats have not played any match since beating Sacramento State, 4-3, at home on April 7.
• The Wildcats are making their return to the Big Sky tournament after missing out on a tournament berth for the first time since 2011 last season. The Wildcats had won three straight Big Sky regular-season titles before last season, but lost four seniors off their 2016 team. The Wildcats are still a young team in 2018, as they have four sophomores and a freshman among their seven players.
• 2017 Big Sky Freshman of the Year Kris Van Wyk has gone 12-6 while playing at line two this season as one of the Wildcats' four sophomores. Van Wyk beat the Vikings' own super sophomore, Tommy Edwards, 6-3, 6-4, at line two earlier this season.
• Sophomore Michiel Van Schoor leads the Wildcats with 14 singles wins this season, between a 12-5 record at line five and a 2-0 record at line six. The Vikings' Sam Roberts beat Van Schoor in three sets earlier this season, however, winning 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-1 at line five.
• Senior Stefan Cooper was an All-Big Sky first-team selection in doubles last season, and has gone 10-9 while playing at No. 1 singles this season. Cooper beat the Vikings' Nathan Boniel in three sets in their match earlier this season, winning 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 at line one.
• Cooper and Van Wyk lead the team with eight wins together in doubles, as they've gone 8-6 at line one. The Vikings' Edwards and Avery West beat Cooper and Van Wyk 6-4 at line one earlier this season, however.
• The Wildcats have shifted their doubles lineup frequently at lines two and three, as they've played at least five different doubles teams at both positions.
• The Wildcats are 21-35 overall as a team in doubles this season, including a 12-19 record against Big Sky opponents.

 
ALL-TIME SERIES VERSUS WEBER STATE:
The Wildcats have won all 16 of their previous meetings with the Vikings, including a 4-3 win over the Vikings on March 23 earlier this season. Thursday's match will be the first time the Vikings have played the Wildcats in the postseason.
 
LAST TIME OUT:
The Vikings got a match under their belts at the Phoenix Tennis Center Tuesday, as they beat Arizona Christian, the Golden State Athletic Conference tournament champion out of the NAIA, 6-1. The Vikings' Avery West and Tommy Edwards got the match started with an historic 7-5 victory at No.1 doubles, giving each player a record-breaking 15th win of the season at line one. West and Edwards also each tied the record for individual doubles wins in a season, and have already set the single-season records for overall wins and wins at No. 1 doubles by a doubles team. Sam Roberts and Majeed Bukhari clinched the doubles point for the Vikings with a 6-3 win at No. 3 doubles, and the Vikings won five of the six singles matches to put the Firestorm away. Otto Holtari played the most dominant singles match of the day for the Vikings, as he only dropped three games while beating Arizona Christian's Scott Wheeler 6-1, 6-2 at line five. Nathan Boniel and Gabe Souza also won in straight sets at lines one and six, respectively. Boniel beat Arizona Christian's Enzo Douillac – an All-GSAC team selection – 6-4, 6-2 at line one, while Souza beat Arizona Christian's Theo Preiswerk 6-4, 7-5 at line six. West and Roberts lost the first set of their matches at lines two and four, respectively, but pulled out both wins in 10-point match tiebreakers. West lost the first set to Arizona Christian's Alberto Lapiedra – another All-GSAC team selection – 6-3, but then won the second set, 6-0, before taking the match tiebreaker, 10-6. Roberts lost the first set of his match against Arizona Christian's Marcelo Balderrama, 6-4, but then won the second set, 6-3, and the match tiebreaker, 11-9. 
 
UPCOMING:
If the Vikings win the Big Sky tournament, then they'll advance to the NCAA national tournament, which would start May 12. If the Vikings do anything but win the tournament, then their season will be over.
 
MAKING HISTORY:
The Vikings' win over Arizona Christian Tuesday made it official – the 2018 season will go down as the best in the history of the Portland State men's tennis program. Most importantly, the Vikings clinched their first-ever berth to the Big Sky tournament under the current format. The Vikings competed in the Big Sky Championships once before in 2003, but that was after earning an auto bid as the pre-determined tournament hosts. The Vikings qualified with a 6-5 conference record – the team's first winning record in Big Sky play in program history. The Vikings also set a program record with six conference wins, and broke the program record for overall wins with their 13th in the victory over Arizona Christian Tuesday.
 
ROAD WARRIORS:
The Vikings' win over Arizona Christian extended their record-breaking win total on the road this season to six, two more than any other team had won on the road in program history. The Vikings officially broke the record with a 4-3 win over Montana State on April 13. The Vikings had never beaten Montana State on the road before this season, and had only won once before in their 12 previous meetings with the Bobcats. The Vikings also won their first-ever road match at Eastern Washington on March 11, and nearly pulled off their first road win over conference-power Idaho on March 9. The Vikings came back to beat the Bobcats and Eagles after losing the doubles point in both matches, and pulled off the same feat at Seattle on March 2.
 
COMEBACK KIDS:
The Vikings have come back to win a dual after dropping the doubles point four times this season, including three times in Big Sky play. The Vikings' first comeback win came against Southern Utah – a fellow Big Sky tournament team – which won the doubles point and then ran out to a 3-1 lead on the Vikings in their match on Feb. 16. The Vikings came back to win the final three singles matches in three sets, however, with Gabe Souza clinching the match with a three-set comeback win at line six. The Vikings then lost the doubles point and fell behind 3-2 on the road against Seattle on March 2 before winning the final two matches to beat the Redhawks, 4-3. Tommy Edwards clinched the win for the Vikings that time with a three-set win at line three. The Vikings pulled off the same feat against Eastern Washington on March 11, with Majeed Bukhari clinching the dual with a three-set win at line six. Avery West then played the hero against Montana State on April 13, as he beat the Bobcats' Rok Sitar in a back-and-forth match at line two, 7-5, 5-7, 7-6 (4).
 
WESTWARDS FOREVER:
Avery West and Tommy Edwards, or Westwards as they have been named when talking about their doubles pairing, have put all doubt to rest and can officially claim the best season ever by a doubles team at Portland State. Westwards won their 15th match together at No. 1 doubles in the Vikings' match against Arizona Christian Tuesday, extending their single-season records for overall doubles wins and wins at No. 1 doubles to two more than any other team in program history in either category. West and Edwards also each broke the single-season program record for individual wins at No. 1 doubles with their respective 15th wins Tuesday, and matched the individual single-season record for overall doubles wins. Additionally, Westwards would set the record for win percentage at No. 1 doubles by a doubles team if the season ended today, and would tie each other for the individual record for win percentage at No. 1 doubles. Westwards have already moved up the career ranks, as well, as they hold the record for most career wins at No. 1 doubles by a doubles team (15), and rank just seven wins off the all-time lead in overall doubles wins, which Brent Wheeler and Ethan Lopez currently hold with 22 wins from 2015-16. Westwards have beaten two nationally ranked doubles teams this season, both in Big Sky play. Westwards beat Idaho's Mark Kovacs and Carlos Longhi Neto 7-5 at No. 1 doubles on March 9, when Kovacs and Longhi Neto ranked 53rd nationally coming into the match. Westwards also beat Idaho State's Peter Trhac and David Felix 6-4 on Feb. 10, when Trhac and Felix ranked 50th in the nation. Westwards beat University of Portland's Mike Pervolarakis and Alex Wallace 7-5 on Feb. 3, as well, with Pervolarakis ranked 18th nationally in singles at the time.
 
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 (45), overall singles win percentage (.750), Big Sky singles wins (23), wins at No. 1 singles (45) and win percentage at No. 1 singles (.750). Boniel's 45 singles wins rank 17 more than the previous record, which Chris Rice and Alex VanDerschelden shared at 28. Boniel has been adding to those records this season, but has also moved up the all-time doubles ranks. Boniel ranks fourth all time in overall doubles wins (29), and ranks fifth all time in overall doubles win percentage (.547). Additionally, Boniel ranks tied for fifth with 14 Big Sky doubles wins, and ranks in the top 10 all time for wins at lines one (T-10th, 9 wins), two (6th, 10 wins) and three (6th, 10 wins).
 
TOMMY BOY WONDER:
Sophomore Tommy Edwards has already established himself as one of the best doubles players in program history, less than two full years into his Viking career. Edwards already ranks third all time in overall doubles win percentage (.632), and ranks third all time in wins at No. 1 doubles with 24 in his career. Edwards also ranks tied for eighth all time with 12 Big Sky doubles wins in his career, and ranks third all time in win percentage at No. 1 doubles (.632).
 
A VERY WESTWARD EXPANSION:
Newcomer Avery West has quickly established himself in the Portland State record books. Besides the single-season and career records West has set with Tommy Edwards (see above), West also ranks first all time as an individual in overall doubles win percentage (.714), win percentage at No. 1 doubles (.714) and win percentage at No. 3 singles (.727). Additionally, West ranks fifth all time with 15 wins at No. 1 doubles, as well as tied for third all time with eight wins at No. 3 singles.
 
RECORDS WERE MADE TO BE BROKEN:
Besides the doubles records Westwards have already broken or tied, the Vikings have also broken or would break the following single-season records:

• Sam Roberts broke the single-season record for wins at No. 4 singles (8).
• Sam Roberts would break the single-season record for win percentage at No. 4 singles (.500) if the season ended today.
• Gabe Souza broke the single-season school record for wins at No. 6 singles (7).
• Gabe Souza would break the single-season record for win percentage at No. 6 singles (.583) if the season ended today.
• Avery West would break the single-season record for win percentage at No. 3 singles (.727) if the season ended today.

 
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.