Viking tennis rounds the corner

The University of Idaho came ready to play against Portland State last Saturday, starting strong and eventually overrunning the Vikings 7-0 in a nonconference matchup. The Vikings are on a three-match losing streak and have fallen to last place in the Big Sky Conference.

The meeting with the Vandals did not start out well for PSU, as the Vikings failed to come up with an answer for Idaho’s attack and were shut out in doubles play. After a circling of the wagons, the Vikings sought to put the doubles matches behind them and win big in singles. At No. 1 singles for Portland State, Antoine Bechmann started fast in his match, taking the first three games with ease before the Vandals’ Dmitry Perevoshchikov took a nasty fall and was given a moment to collect himself. The break also seemed to allow Perevoshchikov to catch his breath, and he rallied back to win the next three games and go up 30-love on Bechmann’s serve.

Bechmann bellowed his frustration to the crowd gathered at Club Green Meadows, and the outburst seemed to help as he came back to hold his serve and stay level with his opponent. The match was still on serve at 5-5 when Bechmann was broken to give Perevoshchikov a 6-5 advantage and a chance to serve for the set. On the strength of a couple aces, Perevoshchikov closed the door on the first set 7-5, then went on to win the second set 6-3 after Bechmann double-faulted twice and then sent a ball into the net at match point.

The trend continued from there, as Viking sophomore Stratton Gilmore was overwhelmed by the Vandals’ No. 2 singles player, Abid Akbar, losing in straight sets, 6-1, 6-3. Idaho’s only real test came at No. 4 singles against Abhinav Mishra. Mishra lost the first set 3-6 against Jose Bendeck but bounced back to win the second set 6-3. The match then came down to a photo finish in the match tiebreaker, which Bendeck ultimately won 10-8. The Vikings are now 0-3 in the Big Sky after losing an important conference match to Weber State University on Feb. 17. The Vikings started off strong in doubles in that match, but the Wildcats quickly regained control and never looked back, routing Portland State 7-0.

The women’s team has been experiencing more success than their male counterparts of late, starting off the season 6-6 overall and 1-2 in conference play, currently only one game out of playoff contention. For Medford native
Marina Todd, the team’s success so far is no accident.

“Our hearts are really into this,” Todd said. “We give our best in weights, conditioning [and] practice, and the hard work we’ve put in has really shown through in our matches.”

The women’s team has taken some close conference losses already this year, losing by 4-3 scores to Montana State University and Weber State. Instead of getting discouraged, however, junior Daria Burobina is more than ready for the challenge.

“One of the goals is to make the conference championships this year,” she said. “There is a very solid lineup of teams in our conference that won’t give up their spots easily, and we are looking forward to a series of tough matches and battles.”

The Viking men now move on to a showdown with their crosstown rivals at the University of Portland on March 1, while the women get the week off before facing the University of Montana on March 9.