Josiah Petersen

Larry Lawson

Title

Head Coach
Email

jlp7@pdx.edu

Josiah Petersen is in his sixth season at Portland State and his second as head coach of the women's tennis program. He joined the program in 2021 as an assistant under former head coach Kyle Russell. After Russell’s departure in August 2024, Petersen was named interim head coach and officially promoted to the position in February 2025.

In his first year at the helm, Petersen led a young Portland State squad to the Big Sky Tournament, securing the No. 6 seed with a 5–11 overall record and a 3–5 mark in conference play. The Vikings earned two Big Sky Women's Tennis Player of the Week honors in 2025, while the No. 1 doubles team of Nika Beukers and Kasumi Hirayama received honorable mention all-conference recognition.

During Petersen's time as an assistant, the Vikings appeared in three consecutive Big Sky Tournaments for the first time in program history. Additionally, they earned five All-Big Sky singles honors, and seven All-Big Sky doubles nods, including four straight first-team pairs. Petersen played a crucial role in the Vikings' doubles success, helping guide them to a combined 137-83 (.623) record over four seasons, including a 56-25 (.691) mark against Big Sky opponents.

Petersen and Russell guided the Vikings to one of the program's most successful seasons in 2023, finishing 12-12 (5-3 BSC). The Vikings secured the highest postseason seed in program history, entering the Big Sky Tournament as the No. 3 seed. The team's 4-1 win over No. 6 Montana in the Big Sky Quarterfinals marked the program's second-ever postseason victory. With the help of Petersen, PSU compiled a 41-25 (.621) doubles record in 2023 which was highlighted by Masha Ponomareva and Capu Sanoner's undefeated season (14-0) at the No. 1 spot. The duo finished No. 85 in the ITA Doubles rankings and was a unanimous First Team All-Big Sky selection. Additionally, Ponomareva received a first-team singles honor, while freshman Elizabeth Strongina was named to the second team.

In 2022, Petersen helped lead the Vikings to an 8-12 season, going 3-5 in conference action. Four Vikings earned All-Big Sky honors, including a first-team nod for Capu Sanoner and Nika Beukers, who finished the season 11-2 at the No. 1 spot, going undefeated in conference play.

During Petersen's first year with the program, PSU qualified for its third Big Sky Conference Championship tournament in program history. Alongside Russell, Petersen coached the Vikings to a 9-11 overall record while going 3-1 in Conference play. That year, the Vikings posted an astounding 11-1 doubles record against regular-season Big Sky opponents and a 36-19 overall mark in doubles action. Under Russell and Petersen’s guidance, all six Vikings earned All-Conference honors for the first time in program history.

Prior to Portland State, Petersen began teaching tennis professionally following his high school career. The Missoula, Montana native is a USPTA Elite Professional with experience teaching clients of all ages, ranging from 4-86 years old. During his time as a pro, he has had the pleasure of coaching at the high school level while also teaching adaptive tennis clinics and working at camps in Mexico. Experience working with both adult and junior tournament players, Petersen coached in several tournaments throughout the US prior to joining the PSU staff.