Last win, last loss

Despite winning the final game of the season, the Portland State men’s tennis team narrowly missed qualifying for the Big Sky semifinals.

After defeating Idaho State (5–2) on Saturday at the Club Green Meadows in Vancouver, Wash., the Vikings finished their season in fifth position in the Big Sky table with a 4–4 conference record and 7–10 overall.

In Portland State’s other game on Saturday, the women’s tennis team lost to Idaho State (1–6), and solidified a last-place finish in the conference.

Going into Saturday’s game, the Vikings men’s team knew that winning against the Bengals would not be enough to qualify. The Viks had to rely upon favorable results everywhere in the conference. In addition to Portland State, Eastern Washington and Montana were competing for the last leftover semifinal spot.

Nonetheless, the Viks took care of business against Idaho State right from the start. The Vikings won the doubles point with two wins in three matches with scores reading 8–5 and 8–6.

In singles action, junior Chris Rice won a marathon two-hour and 43-minute battle against Idaho State’s Javier Royo 6–3, 6–7(5), 6–4. Senior Kyle Erickson, playing his last game for Portland State, won both his single and doubles matches.

The men finished the season with their first, and best ever, non-losing season in the Big Sky. In the preseason poll, the team was picked to finish seventh in the Big Sky.

On the other hand, the women’s team extended their spell without a victory to eight games after Saturday’s loss. This was their longest losing streak this season. Heading into their final game of the season, both the Vikings and Idaho State were yet to win a conference encounter.

In the match against Idaho State, the Viks lost all three doubles games and the doubles point. Team captain and junior Caitlin Stocking was the lone Portland State player to win her game. She overcame Idaho State’s Lisel Lewis in three sets (6–1, 3–6, 6–3).

The women’s team failed to win a single game in the Big Sky Conference and finished 2010 with a 2–17 overall record. The team was picked to finish eighth in the Big Sky in the preseason poll.