PORTLAND, Ore. - The Portland State men's tennis team will open its 2022 campaign with a pair of duals on Friday and Monday in Eugene. The Vikings will take on Boise State in the season opener on Friday (3 p.m.), followed by a dual against Oregon on Monday (6 p.m.).
With third-year head coach Vetu Mam at the helm, Portland State will look to build on a solid showing in 2021, going 7-10 en route to a Big Sky Championship Tournament appearance. The Vikings were picked eighth in the Big Sky Preseason Coaches' Poll released last week.
Schedule At a Glance
Friday will mark the first of eighteen duals on the Vikings' 2022 schedule. Following their weekend in Eugene, PSU will play at Portland on Jan. 23. With a trio of road duals behind them, Feb. 11 will mark the Vikings' home opener against George Fox at Tualatin Hills Park & Rec.
After a dual with Washington (Feb. 12), PSU will return to THPRD for three consecutive home matches. The Vikings will host Pacific (Feb. 18) and Lewis & Clark (Feb. 19) before opening Big Sky action against Montana on Feb. 27.
The Vikings will play Sacramento State (March 5) and UC Davis (March 6) in California to begin the month of March. Mam and his group will return home for Big Sky duals against Eastern Washington (March 11) and Montana State (March 13).
PSU will have four-straight road duals in April, with stops at Idaho State (April 8), Weber State (April 9), Paradise Valley Community College (April 15) and Northern Arizona (April 16).
After returning to action at home against Seattle on April 22, Portland State will round out the regular-season slate against Idaho on April 23.
The Big Sky Championship is set for April 28-30 in Phoenix, Ariz. The Champion will receive the Big Sky's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
Returners
After graduating five seniors last year, the 2022 Vikings roster features just three familiar faces heading into Friday's season opener. Nils Plutat, Tommy Hsu and Oliver Richards will return for their second season with Portland State.
Hsu, an Honorable Mention All-Big Sky doubles selection in 2021, finished the year with 14 combined victories in singles and doubles action, earning most of his singles wins at the four spot. Plutat, who also made his debut with the Vikings in 2021, tallied seven singles wins and three doubles victories last season. Richards, a sophomore out of Whitstable, England, appeared in one match for the Vikings in 2021, making his collegiate debut against Boise State on April 15.
Newcomers
Freshmen Sam De Vries (Irvine, CA), Oliver Fernandez (Petersfield, UK), Will Jesser (Brisbane, Queensland) and Andrew Vu joined the Vikings in the fall of 2021. Despite being new to the collegiate tennis scene, they combined for ten wins as a group, playing in four tournaments during October and November. Fernandez led the way, notching four of the ten wins.
