Entering conference play, Portland State believed it could compete for a Big Sky title. After Friday, the belief has been cemented. The Vikings knocked off defending Big Sky champs Idaho in a 5-2 decision in the Big Sky opener.

In addition to sending a message to the rest of the conference, the Vikings also defeated the Vandals for the first time in school history. They had lost all 14 prior meetings, but came away with a resounding win on Friday. It is only the first match of the year, but it has the Vikings hungry to get back to the conference tournament and make it further than they ever have before. Beating the two-time defending champs is a great way to show you belong.

"This team got to the Big Sky Championships last year for the first time ever," head coach Toby Krauel said. "Now we're not just happy to be at the party, we want to prevail and win that. Even though Idaho had some guys that won the championships out there screaming and fighting and clawing, we have the talent and belief that we can beat anyone in this conference on any given day."

Portland State claimed the doubles point for the sixth time this season to start out and followed that up with wins at lines one, two, four and six in the victory.

Idaho came out strong in doubles playing, going up a break in two of the three matches. The third, however, was all Portland State. Matteo Fortini and Lucas Castelo Branco won with ease at No. 2, sweeping 6-0 in a quick set.

As they wrapped things up, the other Viking teams started to rally. The top team of Tommy Edwards and Avery West have been in multiple holes already this season, but have been known to finish strong. They continued the trend against Idaho.

The No. 1 team bounced back from a slow start to win in a tiebreaker, with West hitting some clutch shots down the stretch. They finished the Vandals off, securing the oh-so-important doubles point and giving the Vikings momentum heading into singles.

Idaho drew first blood in singles, winning 6-2, 6-2 at No. 2. The loss snapped a four-match winning streak for Edwards, who is now 5-2 on the year in singles.

The Vikings quickly took back the lead with a win by Nikola Dimitrijevic. He played a strong first set to pull out the 6-4 win, then followed it up with a dominant 6-1 performance in the second set for the win that put PSU ahead 2-1.

Dimitrijevic, a singles specialist for the Vikings, improved to 3-2 on the season. However, he improved to 3-0 while playing at No. 4, while his two losses have ironically come playing at lines five and six.

The match didn't come without its fair share of drama, but the Vikings looked like the team with a championship pedigree, pulling out some close wins to clinch the win. Castelo Branco showed determination at No. 2 to help shake a two-match losing streak.

A player who likes to stay on the baseline, Castelo Branco won the ground game against his opponent in a tight two-set win. He prevailed 6-4, 7-6 (2) and dominated the tiebreaker, leaving no doubt in the victory. The win put the Vikings ahead 3-1, one point away from the first-ever victory.

In the four court Vancouver Tennis Center, that left the No. 1 court playing a third set while play began at lines five and six.

At No. 1, Fortini jumped out to a quick lead with a 6-2 win in the first set. His opponent responded in the second set, attacking aggressively and outlasting Fortini 7-5 to force a third set.

While the match continued, Otto Holtari helped inspire confidence by building a big lead at No. 5. He won the opening set 6-3, putting the Vikings in position to clinch on multiple courts.

Ultimately, it came down to Fortini at No. 1. He went back-and-forth, heading into a tiebreaker in the final set to decide it. He finished things off with a big serve, winning 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (4) to clinch the win for Portland State.

Fortini improved to 5-1 at the top spot for the Vikings, already building one of the best seasons for the Vikings. As a team, the Vikings are now 5-2 overall and 1-0 in conference play.

After clinching, the Vikings would split the final two points. Holtari held on at No. 5 for a 6-3, 6-4 win that put the Vikings ahead 5-1.

"Lucas played a great match at two in winning in straight sets and played the best tennis we've seen all year," Krauel said. "We had some really good efforts all the way down. Nikola had a great win against a guy we had never beaten before that was a senior. He was 3-0 against Portland State but Nikola played great and that really helped. "

In the final match, Roberts fought hard after dropping the opening set 6-1, flipping the script with a 6-0 win in the second set. In the third, he came up just short, falling 5-7 for the loss. While it may appear to be an upset, based on the history of the two teams, Krauel felt confident in his team heading in.

"This was a great way to start our conference season with a win over a three-time champion Idaho. They are a really good program," Krauel said. "They are in transition with a new coach and some new guys on their team and we are much improved, so the score doesn't surprise me. It's not an upset to me, I expected we would have a 5-2 or 6-1 win today."

The road doesn't get any easier for the Vikings, who take on an extremely talented Sacramento State team Saturday night at 6:45 p.m. The Hornets enter the match 3-4 overall and 2-1 in Big Sky play.

"I was super proud of the overall effort and we are excited to go out against Sacrament State tomorrow," Krauel said.

MATCH NOTES: The Vikings improve to 1-14 all-time vs. Idaho ... Matteo Fortini improves to 6-1 on the season and 5-1 at No. 1 ... Otto Holtari remained undefeated this season, improving to 4-0 with his win today ... Edwards/West improves to 6-1 on the season at No. 1 doubles and are currently on a five-match winning streak ... Castelo Branco/Fortini won their fourth straight match and have a 5-1 record at No. 2 this season.