The storybook season continues for the Portland State men's tennis team. The Vikings knocked off Montana 4-2 Thursday morning, winning the first postseason match in program history and advancing to the semifinal of the Big Sky Championships for the first time.
 
Portland State also improved to 13-7 this season, matching last year's total for the most single season wins in program history. They have also guaranteed the program's best-ever winning percentage, regardless of tomorrow's result. It has truly been a historic run that head coach Toby Krauel and his team have been on the last two years. They cemented a legacy as the best team in the history of Portland State tennis with Thursday's win.

"We are very excited about where we are as a team and in this tournament," Krauel said. "This is an experienced and mature crew, they are happy but hungry. Our focus is on the semifinals."
 
The match was expected to be tight. In the earlier meeting between the two teams this year, it came down to a third set on the final court to determine a winner. Portland State won that 4-3 thanks to Sam Roberts' win at No. 6. The two excellent teams didn't disappoint with the higher stakes of the tournament, competing until the very end of another close match. But once again, it was the Vikings who came away with the clutch points required to survive in the tournament and advance to a Friday morning semifinal.
 
Fittingly, and for the second time in as many weeks, Tommy Edwards provided a clutch clinch for the Vikings at No. 3 singles. The junior from Hillsboro clinched the Idaho State match a week ago that guaranteed the Vikings a berth in the conference tournament. Thursday's win, however, takes the Vikings to heights never before seen on the Park Blocks.
 
It didn't come easy for Edwards, but in a conference tournament you would expect no less. In the first set, he won by a narrow 7-5 score. Ludvig Hallgren responded in the second set for Montana, winning 6-2 to force a third set. As the rest of the matches neared completion, it started to become apparent that the No. 3 court would be the determining factor in the match.
 
Edwards fell behind in the third set, trailing 4-3 after a break. But the junior didn't back down. He had gone three sets in three of his last four matches, winning all of them. He did it again in the most important match of his career. Edwards reeled off three straight games, winning his sixth consecutive match and moving the Vikings into the semis.
 
The finisher for the Vikings also helped establish an early presence for the Vikings. Edwards and doubles partner Avery West, the most successful pairing in Portland State history, won 6-0 at No. 1 doubles in the first decision of the day. Montana won at No. 3 to tie the doubles competition up.
 
It set up the perfect moment for the No. 2 doubles team of Lucas Castelo Branco and Matteo Fortini. The pairing entered the day tied as the best No. 2 team in school history with nine wins together. They broke the record, and clinched the doubles point in the process, in a 6-3 win at No. 2.
 
The singles competition looked close from the early-goings, with both teams taking early leads. Portland State went ahead a set on courts one through three while Montana took one-set leads on the bottom three lines.
 
The setup was good for the Vikings, who, after winning doubles, just needed to split the singles matches to reach the target point total of four.
 
Matteo Fortini delivered the first point of the singles competition with ease, coasting at the No. 1 spot for a 6-1, 6-1 win. It is the third straight win for Fortini, who now reaches 14 total wins and 11 wins at No. 1 this season, both among the best in program history.
 
Lucas Castelo Branco followed up his doubles partner's performance with another win at the top of the draw. He defeated Max Korkh 6-4, 6-4 at No. 2 for his fourth straight win and 13^th on the season. More importantly, he gave the Vikings a 3-0 lead and put them one point away from the win.
 
But the Vikings knew the match was much closer than it appeared, with Montana leading the bottom three matches. They gained a point back with a win at No. 4 and then came back within one with a tiebreaker win at No. 6 to cut the Portland State lead down to 3-2.
 
Edwards had entered his third set and Sam Roberts trailed at No. 5, but the Viking fought back to close the gap. He forced a tiebreaker in the second set and was looking to force a third set, but before he could Edwards had pulled off his comeback and clinched the match for Portland State.
 
It wouldn't be a stretch – in fact it is more than likely true – to say that this is the most important win in the history of Portland State tennis. But the job isn't done yet. The Vikings will be right back out in the Phoenix heat tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. The good news is, an upset in the other quarterfinal gives the Vikings a more favorable matchup in the semifinals.
 
The tournament reseeds following the first round, so if things went chalk Portland State would have played No. 1 Northern Arizona, who finished the season 10-0 in Big Sky play and winners of their final 17 matches. Following an Idaho State upset, however, Portland State will now take on No. 2 Southern Utah.
 
The only meeting between the Vikings and T-Birds this season was played in St. George, Utah on March 22. Southern Utah narrowly edged out Portland State 4-3 in the match. Castelo Branco (No. 2), Edwards (No. 4) and Avery West (No. 5) each won singles matches for the Vikings, but they dropped the doubles point and the other three singles matches in the loss.
 
MATCH NOTES: The Vikings are now 1-2 in Big Sky Tournament matches … The Vikings are now 3-12 all-time vs. Montana. Two of the three all-time wins came this season.
 
SCHOOL SEASON AND CAREER RECORDS: Lucas Castelo Branco and Matteo Fortini are now the all-time winningest VIking pairing at No. 2 doubles with 10 wins together … Tommy Edwards now has the second-most wins in a single season with 16 … Matteo Fortini (14) is in solo fourth place while Castelo Branco (13) is in a tie for fifth … Edwards and Castelo Branco are now tied for second with eight Big Sky singles wins in a single season … Edwards has now won 11 matches at No. 3, the highest single-season total at the line … Edwards/West have the third-most wins (13) as a doubles team in a single season … Castelo Branco/Fortini now have more single season wins at No. 2 than any other Viking pairing.