CLAREMONT, Calif. – The Portland Pilots posted a 4-1 victory against the Santa Clara Broncos in the first round of the West Coast Conference Championships on Thursday at the Biszantz Family Tennis Center. Portland, the tournament's No. 4 seed, advances to face top-seeded and No. 41-ranked San Diego on Friday at 10 a.m.
"We never run out of reasons for trying to prove ourselves," Portland head coach Aaron Gross said. "Today was a great and gutsy win for our guys. I had another coach tell me yesterday what a good indoor team we are. I feel like when someone says that we take it personally because we have won in every condition: at home, on the road, indoors and outdoors. We proved that again today."
The match was closer than the final score indicated as the final three singles matches in play were in the third set when Portland clinched. Two-time WCC Player of the Year Michail Pervolarakis finished it for the Pilots with a 6-7, 6-2, 6-1 victory over Andrew Gu at the No. 1 position.
Gu took the first set in a tiebreaker and went ahead a break at 2-1 in the second set when Pervolarakis self-imposed a code violation. Pervolarakis, ranked No. 56 nationally, won 10 consecutive games from that point on and 11 of the last 12 to close out the match.
Freshman Tom Hann cruised to a 6-2, 6-2 win against Sebastien Mathieu at No. 6 singles and junior Carlos Donat battled to a 7-6, 6-2 win at No. 4 for the Pilots.
Portland set the tone early by winning the doubles point. Santa Clara won at No. 2 doubles, but the Pilots responded as Pervolarakis and Hann posted a 6-2 victory at No. 1 and then Donat and senior Jamie Fisher pulled out a 7-5 win at No. 3 doubles.
Seniors Mathieu Garcia and Pierre Garcia were locked in third set battles at the No. 2 and No. 3 positions, respectively. Mathieu Garcia was tied 6-6 in a tiebreaker against Jesus Barajas when the team match was decided. Pierre Garcia fought back from a first set loss against Connor Garnett to win 7-5 in the second. Garnett was leading 5-3 in the third when it was called.
Vasileios Iliopoulos secured the Santa Clara point with a straight sets win at No. 5 singles.
"Carlos was a monster today," Gross noted. "He played some of the best doubles I have seen him play and then won a clutch match in singles. The Garcia brothers battle their butts off and our main man Mike clinched it in the end. The chip on our shoulder will remain until someone comes and tells us there is no more tennis to play."
Portland has now reached the WCC semifinals in three straight seasons. The Toreros (14-7, 8-1 WCC) have knocked the Pilots out of the tournament the last two years. San Diego's lone WCC loss this spring was by a 4-0 margin to Santa Clara. Portland dropped a 4-0 decision to the Toreros in San Diego.
Live scoring and video streaming of all WCC Championships matches are available through
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Portland 4, Santa Clara 1
Claremont, Calif. (Biszantz Family Tennis Center)
April 26, 2018
Singles
1. #56 Michail Pervolarakis (POR) def. Andrew Gu (SCU) 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-1
2. Mathieu Garcia (POR) vs. Jesus Barajas (SCU) 6-3, 4-6, 6-6 unfinished
3. Pierre Garcia (POR) vs. Connor Garnett (SCU) 3-6, 7-5, 3-5 unfinished
4. Carlos Donat (POR) def. Robert Seby (SCU) 7-6 (5), 6-2
5. Vasileios Iliopoulos (SCU) def. Alex Wallace (POR) 6-1, 6-4
6. Tom Hann (POR) def. Sebastien Mathieu (SCU) 6-2, 6-2
Doubles
1. Pervolarakis/Hann (POR) def. Gu/Seby (SCU) 6-3
2. Iliopoulos/Barajas (SCU) def. Garcia/Garcia (POR) 6-2
3. Donat/Jamie Fisher (POR) def. Garnett/Kamran Khan (SCU) 7-5
Match Notes
Portland 12-8
Santa Clara 13-10
WCC Championships First Round
Order of Finish: Doubles (2,1,3), Singles (5,6,4,1)
