BEAVERTON, Ore. - The Portland State women's tennis team took control early in its Big Sky opener against Weber State on Sunday at the Tualatin Hills Tennis Center. However, a late surge from the Wildcats led to a tense finish, with freshman
Kasumi Hirayama delivering a crucial comeback victory on court five to secure a 4-3 win for the Vikings.
The win, which marked the first of recently appointed head coach Josiah Petersen's career, improved the Vikings to 2-3 overall and 1-0 in conference play, while Weber State fell to 0-12 and 0-2 in Big Sky action.
"There's nothing better than the sensation of winning a close match," Petersen said after the victory. Reflecting on his first win as head coach, he emphasized, "Every bit of credit goes to the team and the level of commitment they have been investing on and off the court to this program. It's an honor working with these athletes, and I have tremendous respect for each of them."
Portland State set the tone in doubles play, clinching commanding victories on courts one and two. Hana Abdelhamid and Scarlett Perkins handled their first conference opponents with ease, defeating Cindy Li and Savannah Johnson 6-1, marking their third win of the season. Nika Beukers and Nene Uemura dominated on court one, rolling past Jessica Hill and Sydney Schnell 6-2 to secure the opening point for the Vikings.
The Vikings needed just three singles wins to clinch the dual, but the Wildcats made it no easy task. Beukers quickly dispatched Schnell at the No. 1 spot, winning 6-2, 6-0, to put the Vikings up 2-0. After a Wildcat victory on court three, Perkins defeated Alicia Morales at line four with a score of 6-3, 6-3, bringing the Vikings within one match of clinching the dual. However, the Wildcats fought back.
Abdelhamid had a strong start, winning her opening set 6-2, but WSU's Cindy Li responded with a commanding set-two victory to force a third. Aleks Bozinovska of Weber State took a crucial one-set lead on court six, but PSU's
Ayra Salim clawed her way back with a second-set victory to keep the match alive. Meanwhile, Hirayama, who dropped her opening set to Savannah Johnson, faced a similar challenge as her fellow freshmen. Fueled by a 6-1 second-set win, she rose to the occasion, battling to a 7-6 (2) victory in the deciding set to secure the dual for the Vikings and notch her first career Big Sky win.
After the match, Petersen praised Hirayama's impressive composure under pressure: "Nothing seems to deter Kasumi and despite the magnitude of the moment she stayed level and got us the final point we needed for the clinch." Additionally, the new head coach gave credit to the crowd who came to support the Vikings on their home court: "I think this is the biggest crowd we've had in a long time, and the team loved the energy from the fans."
Hirayama's victory became increasingly vital as the other two matches drew to a close. Abdelhamid succumbed to Li's comeback effort, falling 2-6, 6-1, 6-4, while Salim faced a similar fate, ultimately losing 7-6, 4-6, 1-0 (5) in a super tiebreak.
The Vikings will have a quick turnaround as they prepare for another Big Sky dual against Idaho State tomorrow (Monday, March 3), starting at 10:00 a.m. at the Tualatin Hills Tennis Center.
