Gonzaga University
Portland State
MTEN Falls to Portland State
2/21/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
SPOKANE, Wash.--A shorthanded Gonzaga men's tennis team hung tough with Portland State for much of the day, but the Vikings pulled away late in the non-conference match for a 5-2 win at The Stevens Center in Spokane.
Going down 2-0 at the beginning of singles -- Portland State took the doubles point and received a point after Gonzaga didn't field a player at No. 6 singles -- the Zags battled back to tie the match with the first two singles to finish. Freshman Ruadhan O'Sullivan gave them their first point with a win at No. 2 singles. He cruised to a 6-1 win over Scott Goldner in the first set, but faced a stiffer test in the second. Goldner forced a tiebreak in that second set, but O'Sullivan pulled ahead and took the extra frame 7-5 for the win, his sixth during the dual season.
At No. 4 singles, fellow freshman Emilio Moreno picked up his fifth dual win with another two-setter, this one over Brent Wheeler. Moreno swept the first set by a 6-0 scoreline, but like his teammate on court No. 2, Wheeler bounced back to win a few games in the second. Moreno fought back, prevailing for the win 6-0, 7-5.
In the fifth singles position, Connor Arend saw his best dual match for Gonzaga, winning 11 total games and forcing a second set tiebreak. He pushed opponent Wil Cochrane in the first before losing that 7-5, and the sophomore from Colorado won the final two of the final three games of the second set for a tiebreak. Cochrane took the added frame by a score of 7-3, giving Portland State a 3-2 lead.
The Vikings then secured the win minutes later on court No. 3, where Vicente Varas fell in a close three-setter to Ethan Lopez. Varas won five games in the first before getting edged 7-5, but he bounced back in the second for a 1-6 win in the frame. Lopez took the deciding set 6-3 for the win. Portland State added another point when Hayden Smith fell in another three-setter at No. 1 singles.
During the doubles contest, Gonzaga and Portland State each picked up a pairs win, but the Vikings took the doubles point. At No. 2 doubles, Moreno and O'Sullivan won the first four games en route to a strong 6-1 showing over Cochrane and Nathan Boniel, their biggest win of the dual season. Up one court, Varas and Hayden teamed together for the first time since their freshman season in 2012-13. They held their first two serves, but Portland State's duo of Goldner and Wheeler broke their next two for a 6-2 Viking win. That combined with their walkover win at No. 3 doubles gave Portland State the doubles point.
Gonzaga (2-5, 0-2 WCC) returns to the road for their next five matches with two of them coming in the final weekend of February. The Zags head to Provo, Utah, Feb. 27 for a WCC matchup against BYU, and they'll play Utah State in Logan, Utah, Feb. 28. Last season, Gonzaga earned its first ever win over the Cougars, beating them 4-3 on April 10, 2015.
