The dual came down to the final match, where sophomore Hana Abdelhamid secured the deciding point for the Vikings, improving their record to 6-5 overall and 2-2 in Big Sky Conference play. Idaho entered Sunday with four conference wins, coming off a victory over league favorite and 58th-ranked Sacramento State. The loss dropped the Vandals to 10-8 overall and 4-2 in conference action.
The Vikings secured the doubles point to open the match. An Idaho win at No. 2 put PSU in an early hole, but the Vikings responded quickly. The sophomore duo of Abdelhamid and Marta Giglio improved to 8-1 on the year with a 6-1 win at No. 1 over Naomi Schraeder and Chenyue Xu. At No. 3, Scarlett Perkins and Anjola Ige clinched the point with a 6-4 win over Valentina Rodas and Soha Singh, sending PSU into singles with a 1-0 lead.
Idaho evened the match early in singles with a win at No. 6, but Giglio answered with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Naomi Schraeder at No. 2 to restore the Vikings' lead. The teams traded points from there, with Idaho winning in straight sets at No. 3 before Perkins delivered a 6-3, 6-4 win at the top spot to put PSU within one point of the team victory.
Two three-set matches ultimately decided the dual. Kasumi Hirayama was resilient at No. 5, forcing a third set after dropping the opener, but fell 7-6 (3) in the decider to tie the match at 3-3.
That left the outcome on court four, where Abdelhamid faced Ida Johansson. After dropping the first set, Abdelhamid responded with a 6-2 second set and carried that momentum into the third. She built a comfortable lead before fending off a late push, staying steady under pressure to take the third set, securing a 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 win.
The Vikings have four matches remaining on their regular-season schedule, all of them critical as they look to secure a spot in the Big Sky Tournament. They'll close out their home slate next weekend, hosting Eastern Washington on Saturday, April 4 at Tualatin Hills Tennis Center (10:00 a.m.). Road matches at Weber State (April 10), Idaho State (April 12) and Sacramento State (April 18) will follow.
Watch: Hana Abdelhamid secures the final point to clinch the match for Portland State on Sunday
