PORTLAND, Ore. – With a roster full of new faces, the Portland State men's tennis team hit the ground running this fall, playing in four tournaments in preparation for its 2022 dual season.
As a team, the Vikings played 60 matches, posting a .363 win percentage in singles play.
"From what I saw this fall, the guys have a lot of game," head coach Vetu Mam said. "With the quick start-up at the beginning of the school year, it was difficult to assess what the guys needed to work on individually because their groundstrokes and technique are all sound."
Portland State began the season at the PNW Invitational in Newberg, Ore (Oct. 1-3), where they compiled eight wins.
With just a single tournament under their belt, the Vikings headed to Eugene to face some of the toughest competition in the Northwest at the ITA Northwest Regional Championship (Oct. 13-17), where they advanced four players to the Round of 32.
PSU ended the month of October at the Gonzaga Invitational in Spokane (Oct, 29-31) before capping the four-tournament schedule at the Duck Invitational in Eugene (Nov. 12-14).
Individually, all seven Vikings picked up at least one win during the fall, with four individuals earning three along the way.
"The deeper we got into our fall season, the thing that stood out the most was their mental approach," Mam said. "We regrouped after the Gonzaga invite and really focused on the mental side and it showed in the last tournament. The Duck invite was by far the best showing from the guys, everyone beat or pushed someone of a higher rank."
Returning for their second season with Portland State were seniors Nils Plutat, Tommy Hsu and sophomore Oliver Richards.
Plutat saw his furthest singles run come at the PNW Invitational, earning his way into the Flight A Consultation final following a win over Pacific's Ryan Miyagawa.
Hsu posted wins in three of the four tournaments, making a run at both the Gonzaga and Duck Invitationals with wins over New Mexico's Nicolas Prieto and EWU's Steven Paz.
Richards secured a trio of victories at the PNW Invitational, clinching a spot in the Flight B Championship match with wins over George Fox' Camden Camacho, Idaho's Alejandro Salvador, and Viking teammate Oliver Fernandez.
Making their debut as Vikings this fall were newcomers Sam De Vries, Oliver Fernandez, Will Jesser and Andrew Vu.
"The newcomers are tough," Mam said. "I think they want it so bad that they lose sight of what they have accomplished in the moment. They're out there playing guys with 2-3 years of college tennis experience and pushing them to the edge. I try to have them see that the fall is more than just wins and losses, but more about the lessons, maturity, and overall growth."
Fernandez and De Vries both advanced to the Round of 32 in singles play at the Northwest Regionals. Fernandez clinched a spot with a win over Eastern Washington's Brady Thomas, while De Vries also defeated his EWU opponent, Manuel Balce.
Vu notched the first collegiate victory of his career at the PNW Invitational with a commanding 6-3, 6-1 win over Pacific's Cooper Rich.
Fernandez and Jesser both recorded strong finishes at the Duck Invitational. Fernandez beat Nevada's Ambroise Marchand, while Jesser had a dominant 6-0, 6-1 performance over Oregon's Nima Movassaghi.
With the fall schedule behind them, Portland State will open its 2022 season on January 14th against Boise State in what will be the first of 18 duals on their spring schedule.
"I think the fall season prepared the guys, especially the newcomers for how busy the weekends are when dual season comes around," Mam said.
After clinching a berth to the 2021 Big Sky tournament, Mam believes this fall was crucial in preparing his 2022 squad to do the same.
"We had a lot of work to do to build back the team culture after graduating five seniors last season. It is still a work in progress, but I am happy where they are and where they will be if they keep at it."
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November 30, 2021 at 07:22AM
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Heavy Fall Schedule Prepares Vikings For 2022 Season - Portland State Vikings
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