PORTLAND – The Portland State women's tennis team will host two duals at the Vancouver Tennis Center this weekend as the Vikings welcome in Division III opponent Whitman on Saturday, Feb. 22, before returning to Big Sky play against Northern Arizona on Sunday.
 
The Vikings (2-3, 1-0 Big Sky) split last weekend's matches, falling to Portland 5-2 before opening conference play with a 7-0 sweep of Southern Utah. Alli Valk finished 3-1 in her four matches, winning both singles appearances at the No. 5 spot while winning her doubles match against the Thunderbirds. Lotti Meszaros picked up her first win of the season at the No. 1 spot, downing Southern Utah in straight sets.
 
THE STREAK CONTINUES:
With her win over Southern Utah, Valk has now won three straight singles matches, the longest streak of the season by any Viking. She is 4-6 in her last 10 matches and is tied for the lead for most singles win on the team with five.
 
DOUBLE DUO:
Eszter Zador and Jacinta Milenkoski have found some success as partners, winning their last two consecutive matches, at No. 3 against Portland and No. 2 against Southern Utah. Both Zador and Milenkoski lead the team with four doubles victories, three of those wins coming as a duo. As a team, they hold the third-highest winning percentage in the Big Sky at .750.
 
LEADING AT NO. 3:
Nina Nikitovic's .667 winning percentage at the No. 3 spot leads the Big Sky. She is 2-2 in dual singles play and 2-1 at the third spot.
 
MOVING UP:
With her last victory, Zador moved up to fourth overall on career wins at No. 4 in singles play with 10. Zador needs only one more conference win to move to a tie for fourth all-time in Big Sky singles wins. Also jumping up in the record books was Meszaros who went from eight to a tie for fifth in wins at No. 2.
 
SCOUTING WHITMAN:
Whitman enters the weekend with a 4-1 record, earning an 8-1 victory over Puget Sound in its last competition. The Blues have earned two victories over Puget Sound this season, also picking up wins over Whitworth 7-2 and Santa Cruz 8-1. Whitman's one loss came against Division I Seattle, a 6-1 result.
 
The Blues were selected to finish at the top team in the Northwest Conference, collecting seven of the nine first-place votes. They finished runner-up a season ago in both the regular season standings and the NWC Tournament.
 
ALL-TIME RECORD VS. WHITMAN:
Saturday will be the first dual between these two teams in program history, meeting occasionally in tournament play only.
 
SCOUTING NORTHERN ARIZONA:
The Lumberjacks enter the weekend with a 1-3 record and will face Oregon on Saturday prior to their dual with Portland State. NAU's dual against the Ducks will be the third against a Pac-12 team this season, falling to Arizona State 5-2 and Arizona 4-3. The Lumberjacks' one win came against Utah State, winning 5-2 on the road in the most recent matchup.
 
NAU was selected to finish first overall in the Big Sky Preseason Coaches' Poll, collecting 10 first-place votes with 100 points.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. NORTHERN ARIZONA:
Northern Arizona has been dominant against the Vikings over the years, holding a 19-1 record against Portland State. The Vikings have dropped the last five matches, winning the last dual back in 2014.
 
QUICK HITS:
-The Vikings split last weekend's matches, opening Big Sky play with a sweep of Southern Utah.
-Allie Valk has won her last three singles matches for the longest winning streak of the season.
-Zador and Milenkoski have won two straight doubles matches as partners, emerging as a top team.
-Lotti Meszaros won her first match at the No. 1 spot, winning against Southern Utah in straight sets.
-Whitman enters with a 4-1 record, its only loss coming against Division I Seattle.
-The Blues were selected to finish as the top team in the Northwest Conference.
-NAU, selected to win the Big Sky, will play its first conference dual against PSU.
-The Lumberjacks have a 1-3 record and will play Oregon prior to Sunday's dual.