Bitten by the Bulldogs

The Portland State women’s tennis team resumed its tennis season after a month-long hiatus from tennis with a 1-6 loss to Gonzaga at the Club Green Meadows on Sunday. The Vikings could not sustain their winning momentum going into the break. The Viks had registered a crucial 4-3 win over Big Sky opponents Northern Colorado last month. However, with Sunday’s result, the Viks slip to 4-8 in 2011 and 1-3 in the conference.

The match on Sunday started with three doubles defeats for the Vikings. The pairs of senior Anya Dalkin/freshman Yuki Sugiyma and freshman Marina Todd/junior Marti Pellicano lost to their opponents with a 3-8 scoreline. The team of junior Marsha Los and sophomore Nayatara Vadali lost the third doubles duel 1-8. Thus, the Vikings had to concede the overall doubles point to Gonzaga.

However, things started promisingly in singles competition. Playing at line one, freshman Yuki Sugiyama registered a comeback from behind 6-1, 4-6, 6-3, in a win over Gonzaga’s Rika Mehndiratta. The freshman from Japan had to overcome a 1-2 deficit in the third and deciding set. She broke her opponent twice in the final set to seal the singles victory.

This was Sugiyama’s 10th singles win of the season. This year, Sugiyama has a 10-2 record in singles competition and is well on her way to breaking Portland State’s all-time season record for most wins. Former Viking Leinanin McAneney currently holds this record for her 12-5 performance in the 1998 season. Sugiyma has six more games to try and match or break the record.

Team head coach Jay Sterling has been happy with Sugiyama’s performance this year.

“[Sugiyama’s] major strength is that she doesn’t have any major weaknesses,” Sterling said.”She plays well from the baseline. She plays well at the net. She serves really well and transitions well. She does an amazing job of seeing the court and developing points. She is an incredibly smart tennis player.”

However, Sugiyama’s win was the only silver lining for the Viks. The team suffered straight set loses in the remaining five singles lines, thereby losing the overall contest 1-6.

The Vikings will hope to get back to winning form when they take on Washington State away on Sunday. The Viks then play three consecutive conference games against Northern Arizona, Sacramento State and Eastern Washington. These matches will ultimately decide the team’s playoff fate this season. Portland State is currently sixth in the conference and remains in contention for a semi-final berth. ?