PORTLAND, Ore. – The reigning West Coast Conference champion University of Portland men's tennis team will host Princeton of the Ivy League in a collegiate dual match on Thursday, February 1st at 6 p.m. at Stafford Hills Club.
"We are very excited to play one of our 'home' matches at Stafford Hills Club," said Portland head coach Aaron Gross, the 2017 WCC and ITA Northwest Region Coach of the Year. "It will be a special night. We have never played Princeton and they are a very good team. It should be a very evenly matched dual."
Portland is coming off of a banner 2017 season that included the program's first WCC regular season title, an 18-3 overall record, Top 50 yearend ranking, and marquee wins over perennial tennis powers San Diego and Pepperdine.
The Pilots are optimistic heading into the spring season as they return the top five players from last year's singles lineup and nine players overall. The team is led by the No. 18-ranked player in the nation, senior Michail Pervolarakis. The Cyprus native became the first UP player to earn WCC Player of the Year honors and was the first Pilot to claim the ITA Northwest Regional Singles Championship this past fall.
Fellow seniors Mathieu Garcia, Pierre Garcia and Alex Wallace have been regular lineup players throughout their careers, while junior Carlos Donat has also been a staple in Portland's lineup. Coach Gross added two talented freshmen to the roster this year in Tom Hann and Drew Davison.
The Tigers have made eight NCAA Championships appearances in the modern era, most recently in 2015. Last year, Princeton finished with a 14-12 overall record. Senior Luke Gamble returns after qualifying for the NCAA Championships in doubles a year ago, while sophomore Payton Holden won 20 singles matches.
"We love playing on our campus and feel it gives us a nice home court advantage, but this is a great match to share with the local tennis community and a great opportunity to play at one of the premier clubs in the region," Gross said. "The viewing for spectators at Stafford is great. The facilities and staff are top notch as I have learned as we are preparing for this event. The club has a vibrant membership that is very active in USTA league tennis. We feel like college tennis is a perfect fit for Stafford because they are so in touch with the team aspect of the sport. I expect to have a lively and boisterous pro-Pilot crowd on hand. I know our team is really looking forward to the night."
