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PALM DESERT, Calif. – Portland senior Michail Pervolarakis dropped his consolation semifinals match to conclude his run at the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships on Saturday at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa. Pervolarakis finished the tournament with three important singles wins that should put him in position to climb the ITA National Rankings after a stellar fall season.

Ranked No. 95 entering the fall, Pervolarakis qualified for the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships after becoming the first player in University of Portland history to win the ITA Northwest Regional Championship.

After dropping his opening match at the tournament this weekend, Pervolarakis rattled off three straight victories in the consolation bracket, including wins against the No. 10 and No. 11 seeds on Friday.

His run came to an end against No. 51-ranked Alex Knight of Michigan on Saturday by a 6-1, 6-2 margin.

Pervolarakis posted a comfortable straight sets win against No. 11 seeded Michael Geerts of Arizona State on Friday morning. Geerts is the No. 4-ranked newcomer in the nation. He then raced to a 6-2, 6-1 win over 10th-seeded and No. 59-ranked Johannes Ingildsen of Florida. Pervolarakis was knocked out of the main draw in the opening round by ITA Central Regional champion Stefan Milicevic of Minnesota, but bounced back with a three-set win against Nebraska's Toby Boyer.

"It was basically the tale of three tournaments over the last several days here," Portland head coach Aaron Gross said. "Mike really struggled in his first two matches to find his game. His second two matches I don't think he has ever played better and then today he just ran in to a buzz saw. He got a little behind early in each set and Knight just filled with confidence and just ripped."

Players qualified for the tournament through designated placings at earlier ITA National Championships and the ITA Regional Championships Presented by Oracle. Pervolarakis earned his qualification by winning the ITA Northwest Regional Championship hosted at Pacific. A full breakdown of the selection criteria is available here.

"The ITA has done an amazing job running this event," Gross said. "It has been very cool to be a part of the tournament and hopefully motivating for all of our current and future Pilots to get here. I know I would like to be back here again soon. For Mike, the three wins he had at this tournament really put him in a great position to earn a berth into the main NCAA Tournament in May. All our attention will soon shift to dual matches and team results in the spring, but I feel Mike did everything he possibly could this fall to put him in position to make that NCAA Tournament."

Pervolarakis is the reigning West Coast Conference Player of the Year after leading the Pilots to their first league regular season title in 2017. He entered the fall season ranked No. 95 in the ITA Preseason Singles Rankings and posted a 12-4 record and 3-2 mark against ranked foes. 

"Full credit to the University of Portland athletic department for investing in these opportunities for all of our players," Gross added. "Mike competed against players from Minnesota, Nebraska, Arizona State, Florida, and Michigan. I feel like his success and the support of our university keeps moving us more and more into the national spotlight."

Complete draws, daily recaps and photo gallery links can be found on the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships event page.

Oracle ITA National Fall Championships
Palm Desert, Calif. (JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa and the Indian Wells Tennis Garden)
Nov. 1-5, 2017

Men's Singles
64 Stefan Milicevic (MIN) def. #95 Michail Pervolarakis (POR) 6-1, 6-4
C #95 Michail Pervolarakis (POR) def. Toby Boyer (NEB) 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (6)
C #95 Michail Pervolarakis (POR) def. (11) Michael Geerts (ASU) 6-4, 6-2
C #95 Michail Pervolarakis (POR) def. #59 (10) Johannes Ingildsen (UF) 6-2, 6-1
C #51 Alex Knight (MICH) def. #95 Michail Pervolarakis (POR) 6-1, 6-2