PORTLAND, Ore. – On the heels of a historic 2021 spring season, the Portland State women's tennis team returned to the courts this fall, appearing in four tournaments and playing over 80 matches against individuals from 17 different schools.
Portland State began the fall portion of its 2021-22 season at the Cougar Classic in Pullman (Sept. 24-26) before traveling to Boise, Idaho for the Barb Chandler Classic (Oct. 1-3), followed by the Husky Invitational in Seattle (Oct, 8-10). The four-tournament slate came to a close in Palo Alto, Calif., at the ITA Regional Championship (Oct. 22-26).
As a group, the Vikings totaled 53 singles matches in addition to 28 doubles matches, picking up a total of 31 victories along the way.
"I really liked the way we progressed from week to week," Head Coach Kyle Russell said. "It's a short time to get to know each other and start building the team. They learned a lot and gained some valuable experience. Even the players who struggled with injuries still found ways to lead, support and encourage their teammates."
Russell will head into 2022 with a roster of seven, three of which are new to the program.
"I feel really good about the newcomers," Russell said. "They came in hungry to prove themselves and get better. Nika, Majo and Maddie all had some really good battles this fall which was very important for them."
Freshman Mariajosé Hernandez Coronado led the Vikings with ten total wins, posting a pair of 5-4 records in singles and doubles play. The Guatemala City native notched three singles victories during the Cougar Classic en route to a second-place finish in the Red Singles Draw. Continuing to prove herself, Hernandez Coronado earned a commanding 6-1, 6-2 victory over Oregon's Mia Ljubas at the Husky invite.
"The newcomers got better every week and don't look like they have any intention of putting a ceiling on themselves," Russell said.
Sophomore transfer Maddie Egan proved just that by earning a team-high six singles wins, including a perfect 3-0 weekend at the Husky Invite. Egan clinched a pair of wins over Oregon's Madisen Olsen while also battling her way to a three-set victory over Depaul's Kaya Rand (4-6, 7-6 (6), 6-4).
Also making her debut as a Viking was freshman Nika Beukers.
"I liked the way the freshmen grew up in a hurry," Russell said. "Nika was amazing this fall. She started out very unsettled but evolved from one match to the next and ended up playing some of the best tennis for us."
Beukers came to life in week two at the Barb Chandler Classic, sealing wins over Montana State's Maria Villarejo and Idaho's Melissa Hutchet. The Netherlands native capped her debut fall season by advancing to the Round of 64 at the ITA Regional with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Sacramento State's Weronika Ejsmont.
Despite battling injuries, key returners Makoto Ohara and Capu Sanoner were able to play a handful of matches this fall, competing against some of the top players in the region.
The 2021 First Team All-Big Sky doubles pair picked up where they left off during the opening weekend, notching an 8-6 win over Montana's Olivia Oosterbaan and Ivayla Mitkova to advance to the consolation final of the Crimson Doubles Draw.
Ohara highlighted the Vikings in Boise after winning the Blue Doubles Draw consolation title alongside Beukers. The duo topped teams from Montana State and Idaho.
No stranger to fall tennis were upperclassmen Emily Rees and Jacinta Milenkoski.
"I thought the upperclassmen showed a lot of maturity this fall," Russell said. They took their losses, doused them with determination, and came back stronger."
Coming off a 12-win season in the spring, Rees continued to fine-tune her skills in singles play, taking matches from Liliya Dimova of Seattle and Jazmin Lerman of Montana State. The Senior was 3-3 when partnered with Hernandez in doubles action. The pair clinched a spot in the second round of the ITA Regional Championship, following a 6-1 defeat over EWU's Isabella Foshee and Jennifer Kida.
After opting out of the 2021 season, senior Jacinta Milenkoski saw collegiate action for the first time in 18 months. The Australia native recorded singles wins over Boise State's Shauna Heffernan and Oregon's Madisen Olsen in addition to four doubles victories. Milenkoski paired up with Egan at the ITA Regional, advancing to the Round of 32 following a win over Sacramento State's Grace McSkimming and Weronika Ejsmont (6-2).
The Vikings are optimistic heading into the spring after getting four tournaments under their belt.
"They all got a moment or two in the sun this fall which was great," Russell said. "We are far from a finished product, but I really like the attributes of this team, and I'm excited to play dual matches this Spring."
The Vikings won't have to wait long before opening the season at the University of Oregon on Saturday, Jan. 15.
As far as Russell is concerned, the sky is the limit for his 2022 squad.
"We got some really good work in this fall. We saw where we are at. Now we need to decide where we want to go."
