Both the men’s and women’s tennis teams were hard at work this spring break competing in two matches each. The women’s team was able to win both its matches, but unfortunately the men couldn’t find a way to win.
The women’s team took on the Drexel Dragons and the Buffalo Bulls as well as Long Island, Florida Gulf Coast, Northwood and SW Missouri. They recorded two wins and made it look easy, putting the Bulls away 6-1, and were able to drop the Dragons 4-3.
Portland State only lost one match to the Buffaloes and was able to win every doubles match. Katie Slizewski rose to the occasion for the Vikings, winning her singles match 6-2, 6-2 and providing a boost for the rest of the team.
“The women did a great job from the start to the end of a tough week,” head coach Leslie Lewis said. “They played smart, they played hard and they fought to the finish.”
The record for the women’s team currently stands at 3-13, but Lewis feels confident that they can easily turn that record around.
“The morale is good, because we have done well,” Lewis said. “The levels have improved.”
Unfortunately for the women’s team, Blaze Wadum, the team’s number two player, had to be taken to the hospital this past Sunday for an emergency appendectomy and will be sitting out the rest of the season. This loss could hinder the team’s chances as they prepare for the regional tournament later this month.
The next match for the women will be this Friday at 10:30 a.m. against Sonoma State and will be played at the West Mooreland Racquet Club here in Portland. Then on Saturday and Sunday, both at 1:30 p.m., the Vikings will take on the Eastern Washington Eagles.
The men’s team had trouble coming up with a win on the road over the break.
The team’s number one player, Michael Thoeresz, was injured in a match against Drexel and it proved costly as the team went winless over the break.
Despite the losses, Lewis is confident that the men are on the right track and should be all right going into the regional tournament.
“I think they’ll all step up to it,” Lewis said. “They’re all competing their hearts out.”
The men will look to improve their record of 2-14 this weekend when they travel to Utah to take on Utah State. Then they will head to Idaho to take on conference opponent Idaho State.