It came down to the final match, like so many duals have for Portland State this Big Sky season. Unfortunately on Sunday, the Vikings came away on the wrong end of a 4-3 decision, falling on the road to Northern Colorado.

The loss drops the Vikings to 4-4 in Big Sky play and 10-7 overall. The .500 record in conference play drops them to a tie for sixth place with Montana State, who they defeated 6-1 earlier in the season. The top six teams make the Big Sky tournament, setting up a crucial road trip for the Vikings against Idaho State and Weber State next weekend.

It started well for the Vikings, who used wins at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles to get the first point of the day. Tommy Edwards and Avery West picked up a 6-3 win at the top spot for their 24th win as a team. Sam Roberts and Majeed Bukhari then clinched the point with a 6-3 win at No. 3, while the match on court two went unfinished.

Northern Colorado got some points back early in the singles competition, winning 6-3, 6-4 at No. 1 and 6-0, 6-4 at No. 3. It was Edwards and West who came through to help the Vikings get some momentum down the stretch.

Edwards absolutely battled on court two, a position he hasn't played at much this season. He came out on the wrong end of a tiebreaker in the first set, but turned the tables and forced a third set with a tiebreaker win in the second set. Once he made it there, Edwards rolled, winning the final set 6-1 for his 13th win of the season.

West also went three sets, although there wasn't quite as much drama as the Edwards match. West took the first and third sets on his way to a 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 win at No. 4. After missing singles matches earlier in the season, he has been a difference maker since returning and proved it again on Sunday.

Northern Colorado picked up its third win of the singles competition at No. 5, tying the dual up with a 6-4, 6-3 result at that line. It forced the result of the dual to the No. 6 court, where Majeed Bukhari was playing in just his second singles match of the season.

Bukhari was in the same situation on Saturday and came up just a bit short. Again on Sunday, he gave everything he had in a very, very tight match. He took the opening set 6-4 to jump out to an early lead. But Tommy Smalley bounced back with a tiebreaker win in the second set. It set up a winner take all third set, which again went down to the wire. Smalley just edged Bukhari, winning 7-5 and clinching the dual for the Bears.

All is not lost for the Vikings. They still are currently in a position to qualify for the postseason tournament. If they do, it will be just the second appearance under the tournament's current format, following up last year's fourth place finish.

They take on a 5-4 Idaho State team and a 2-7 Weber State team on the road in the final weekend of the season. The only team that could jump the Vikings, Montana State, plays against teams ahead of it in the standings in the final two matches. The Bobcats will be at home, however.

It all comes down to the final week. The drama of the season has led the Vikings to this point, where they must rise to a challenge while playing away from home. If they pull it off on the road, expect them to enter the Big Sky tournament ready to make some noise.

MATCH NOTES: The Vikings are now 7-5 all-time vs. Northern Colorado … Tommy Edwards now has 13 wins this season, tied for the third most in a single season in Portland State history. He is also currently the second winningest Viking of all time with 31 career wins.