PHOENIX, Ariz. – Another historic season for the Portland State women's tennis team came to a close Friday afternoon. Competing in the Big Sky semifinals for just the second time in program history, the Vikings were edged by Weber State 4-3 at the Phoenix Tennis Center.
The third-seeded Vikings finished the 2023 season 12-12, tying the most wins in program history. The second-seeded Wildcats advanced to Saturday's championship match, as they improved to 11-8 overall.
"Unfortunately, our tournament ended sooner than we thought it would but I'm very proud of the way our team represented Portland State today," Head Coach Kyle Russell said after the loss.
Russell and the Vikings finished the regular season 11-11, marking the second-best regular-season record in program history. They entered this week's Big Sky tournament as the third seed, the highest seed in program history. While aiming to break more records, the Vikings came up just short, falling three games shy of Saturday's title match.
With a first-round bye as the two seed, Weber State came into Friday with fresher legs than the Vikings. However, Portland State didn't let that get in the way, powering its way to the doubles point.
The phrase "perfect" is not often used in sports, but Masha Ponomareva and Capu Sanoner were exceptions to that, finishing the season 14-0. The No. 1 duo capped their record-breaking year with a 6-2 win over Ana Morett and Megan Davies to give PSU its first win of the day. After the Wildcats prevailed on court two, Makoto Ohara and Emily Rees claimed their fourth consecutive win at No. 3, beating Sicely Ferreira and Kenadee Semenik 6-4 to secure the point for the Vikings.
As expected, the singles portion came down to the wire. Both Elizabeth Strongina and Nika Beukers defeated their Wildcat opponents, bringing the Vikings within one point of victory. Beukers posted a 6-2, 6-2 win over Cindy Ping on court four, while Strongina claimed her eighth-straight victory, 6-2, 6-4 over Megan Lombardi at the No. 3 spot. Meanwhile, the Wildcats kept themselves alive with wins at the two, five and six positions to tie the dual at three.
Both teams' seasons hinged on Ponomareva and Morett at No. 1 singles.
"The match came down to Masha and I had no doubt she would come through as she always does," Russell said. "It turns out, the Arizona heat is the only thing that could take her down."
Morett took the opening set 6-2, before Ponomareva stormed back with a 6-3 win in set two. Heat exhaustion and cramps hindered Ponomareva in the final set but she continued to fight. Morett prevailed 6-3 in the third set to clinch the win for Weber State.
 "At one point during her match, Masha collapsed on the ground from leg cramps, yet somehow she got back up," Russell said. "She has had an amazing college career and she finished it on her feet which is only fitting. She truly has the fighting spirit of a Viking."
In addition to Ponomareva, the collegiate careers of fifth-year seniors Nell Arendt and Emily Rees also came to an end on Friday.
"Our season ended too soon," Russell continued. "But the girls will walk off with their heads held high."
