PORTLAND – Looking for its third straight win, the Portland State men's tennis team begins Big Sky Conference play as the Vikings host Northern Arizona on Saturday at the Vancouver Tennis Center.
 
The Vikings (2-3, 0-0) Big Sky have won their last two duals, defeating George Fox 5-2 and most recently, Lewis & Clark in a 7-0 sweep.
 
LAST WEEK:
Against the Pioneers, Portland State picked up a quick point from doubles, winning at No. 1 and No. 2 with Tommy Edwards and Sam Roberts taking their set 6-3, and Majeed Bukhari and Matteo Fortini holding on to a 7-5 victory.
 
In singles, Edwards fought back from a 6-3 loss in the opening set to win 6-3, 6-4 in the final two sets at No. 1. Fortini swept his match 6-0, 6-0 while Bukhari had another close battle, winning 10-8 in the third set, and Otto Holtari had one of his most decisive wins, 6-0, 6-3.
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Leading the team in singles victories with five is Edwards, followed by Nikola Dimitrijevic and Holtari with four wins each. In doubles, Edwards holds five wins while Bukhari and Fortini each have three.
 
STREAKS:
Edwards has now won his last four matches, including three straight singles matches, putting together the longest win streak of the season. Along with him, four other Vikings are currently sitting on a two match win streak in singles play.
 
EDWARDS RECORD WATCH:
With 37 career singles victories, Edwards is already second all-time on the list for most wins in program history. Eight more singles victories would tie for most all-time with former teammate Nathan Boniel at 45. In doubles, his last victory moved him to a tie for second all-time with 38 wins, only one share of first-place.
 
Others with record-setting chances include Roberts who is now tied for first in singles wins at No. 4 with nine, and Holtari who is tied for second in singles wins at No. 6, one away from first.
 
SCOUTING NORTHERN ARIZONA:
The Lumberjacks enter the weekend with a 4-5 record, suffering losses against Arizona, UNLV, and Arizona State. NAU has lost its last two duals, falling to Louisiana 4-0, and Texas A&M – Corpus Christi 4-1 at the Ragin Cajun Invite. NAU earned decisive wins against UC Riverside and Grand Canyon, winning 5-2 while also picking up two sweeps against Western New Mexico.
 
Coming off a 22-7 record last season, including a perfect 10-0 mark in conference play, Northern Arizona was selected to finish first in the Big Sky Preseason Coaches' Poll, collecting 96 points with seven first-place votes. PSU earned 54 points for a tie for fourth. The Lumberjacks ended the Vikings' run in last year's tournament, winning the championship matchup 4-0 to take the 2019 title.
 
This season, NAU has struggled on the road, holding a 1-4 record while going 0-1 at neutral sites. Eban Straker-Meads has been the top singles player for the Lumberjacks, holding a 5-2 record while Daniel Dillon sits in second with four wins. In doubles, Dillon and Joachim Schaefer have worked well together, combining for a 4-5 record.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. NORTHERN ARIZONA:
The Lumberjacks have found success against Portland State, holding an overall record of 15-2, winning the last four meetings. The Vikings last won during the 2016 campaign, winning 6-1 at home.
 
QUICK HITS:
The Vikings enter the weekend with a 2-3 record, winning their last two duals against George Fox and Lewis & Clark. – NAU is 4-5 and is currently riding a two dual losing streak after competing at the Ragin Cajun Invite. – The Lumberjacks were selected to finish first in the preseason poll while the Vikings were picked fourth. – Edwards is only one doubles win away from tying PSU's career record for wins. – Straker-Meads leads NAU with five singles victories so far this season.