PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland State men's tennis team will make two trips to Eugene during the opening week of its 2026 season, opening the year against Oregon on Thursday, Jan. 15 at 6 p.m. before returning to face the Ducks again on Sunday, Jan. 18 at noon. Both matches will be played at the UO Student Tennis Center.

The matches begin a busy season for seventh-year head coach Vetu Mam and the Vikings, who will play 21 matches between now and the end of April.

Thursday's meeting will be the 14th all-time matchup between the Vikings and the Ducks, with Portland State still seeking its first victory in the series.  

Portland State was picked eighth in the Big Sky Preseason Coaches Poll released Wednesday following a 4–14, 0–8 season in 2025. With a solid trio of returners and five talented newcomers, the Vikings have the ability to outperform expectations while aiming for their first Big Sky Tournament appearance since 2021.

Veteran returner Simon Kuszynski is the Vikings' lone senior this season. The Canadian is the program's career leader in wins at No. 6 singles, posting an 8-6 record in that spot last year. He enters his final season with 18 career singles wins and 15 doubles victories, sitting just a few wins shy of the 20-win mark reached by only 14 players in the program's long history.

Standout Italians Luca Prino and Edoardo Cravanzola round out the group of returners after strong debut seasons in 2025. Prino played all 18 matches at No. 1 singles, recording six wins, including two in conference play. Cravanzola earned five singles victories across the two, three and four positions while leading the Vikings with seven doubles wins, including six at line three.

The rest of Portland State's 2026 roster features five newcomers — three transfers and two freshmen.

Freshmen Aarjun Pandit (Haryana, India) and Ignacio Ruiz (Veracruz, México) made their collegiate debuts this fall, combining for seven singles wins across two tournaments.

Maas Schotanus (Rotterdam, Netherlands), a sophomore, spent his freshman season at Jackson State, where he earned First Team All-SWAC honors and was named the conference's Freshman of the Year. Luke Lu (Suzhou, China) brings additional experience after earning Second Team All-WAC recognition at Seattle U in 2024–25. Hampus Hagglund (Stockholm, Sweden) rounds out the transfer group, adding two seasons at Mount Olive highlighted by 11 career singles wins.

The Vikings' 2026 campaign consists of 21 regular-season matches, including seven Big Sky contests, with six home matches scheduled at the Tualatin Hills Tennis Center. The Big Sky Tournament will take place April 23–25 in Phoenix, Ariz., with the top six teams in the final regular-season standings qualifying for the championship.