Tough weekend for PSU tennis

The Portland State women’s tennis team lost in a clash with the Montana State University Bobcats on Saturday, falling 4-3 at home. The Vikings started off on the right foot with the No. 3 doubles team of Mandy Mallen and Marti
Pellicano blowing by the Bobcats with an 8-1 victory. The No. 2 doubles team of Marina Todd and Megan Govi was also rolling to what looked like an easy win, sweeping the first seven games of their match, but in a surprising turn of events the Bobcats fought back and took the next seven games, bringing the match into a tiebreaker. Todd and Govi were able to rally in the tiebreaker to win the match 8-7 (7-3).

The Viking’s No. 1 doubles team of Daria Burobina and Kelsey Frey did not fare as well, losing their match 8-5 to the Bobcats duo of Daria Burobina and Kelsey Frey. After winning two of the three doubles matches, the Vikings were looking to maintain their momentum, but Montana State came on strong, winning the number one, two, three and four singles matches to clinch the conference victory. The Vikings now move into a long stretch of Big Sky play, with the next five matches coming against conference opponents.

Also on Saturday, the men’s tennis team was on the road in Pocatello for a matchup with Idaho State University. The Vikings were largely overpowered by the Bengals’ attack and took another conference loss, 6-1. Brent Wheeler was the bright spot for the team, winning his singles match with a commanding performance, 6-2, 6-3. Both Viking squads are at home this weekend with matches scheduled on Saturday, Feb. 23. The women will take on Idaho State at 10 a.m., while the men face the University of Idaho Vandals at 6 p.m. in a nonconference matchup.