SPOKANE, Wash.- The Gonzaga men's tennis team fell 5-2 to Portland to open West Coast Conference play Saturday afternoon inside the Stevens Center.
 
The Pilots took an early lead by winning on two of the three courts in doubles play. No. 3 doubles was first to finish as Matthew Perkins and Hunter Egger defeated Nicklas Oberg and Leo Hibi 6-2. Sasha Trkulja and Leon Roider fell 6-4 on No. 2 doubles against Sema Pankin and Nikolas Tvedt, while Portland's Eleftherios Neos and Issa Yoshida clinched the doubles point with a 7-6 (7-5) tie break victory at No. 1.
 
In singles play, Egger kicked things off with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Oberg on No. 4, giving the Zags their first point of the match. Pankin defeated Trkulja 7-5, 6-2 on court one, with Tvedt beating McDonald on court five in three sets soon after. On No. 5 singles, McDonald lost the first match 6-2 but forced third with a 6-3 victory in the second set; McDonald fell 6-2 in the third to give Tvedt the win at No. 5.
 
Gomez Galvan was next to finish for the Zags; he pulled the 6-4 win his first set but fell 6-2 in the second. In a grueling third set, he pulled a 6-3 win to get the Bulldogs another point. Neos defeated Roider at No. 2 in a long match that ended in a third set tie break. Roider was able to win his first set 6-3, but fell 6-4 in his second set. The third set came to a tie break which ended at 7-6 (7-5) and the Pilots taking the win. On court six, Perkins dominated his first set winning 6-3 against Hibi but lost 7-6 (7-1) a tiebreak his second set. Hibi continued on for the 6-3 third-set win for the match win, giving Portland the 5-2 victory.
 
Gonzaga returns to play Sunday, March 28 against visiting Montana at 11 a.m. inside the Stevens Center. Check GoZags.com for up-to-date match information.

Support Gonzaga Men's Tennis
For those interested in supporting the Gonzaga men's tennis program, please click here. Contributions make a direct impact on the success and experience of GU student-athletes. Your support is appreciated as our student-athletes strive for success.