BOISE, Idaho – Despite having to forfeit No. 6 singles and No. 3 doubles due to having only five players available, the Portland Pilots pushed host Boise State to the brink on Friday before falling by a 4-3 margin at the Boas Indoor Tennis Center.

Jovana Kuljanin outlasted Pilot freshman Anna Oberg in a third set tiebreaker to secure the victory for the host Broncos (3-1).

The Pilots (1-5) played their second straight match with just five players as sophomore Radina Dimitrova and senior Kara Okazaki were unavailable.

Portland battled in doubles with a 7-6 win at the top position by freshman Jelena Lukic and senior Jelena Lazarevic. Boise State secured the point with a forfeit win at No. 3 doubles and a 6-4 victory at the No. 2 spot.

The Broncos went up 3-0 with the forfeit at No. 6 singles and then a win at No. 3, but Portland was able to even the match by winning the next three singles decisions.

Lazarevic cruised to a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 2 over Lilian Poling and then freshman Emily Soares finished Nancy Menjivar with a 6-0 third set. Lukic then posted a come-from-behind win at No. 1 over Hanna Kantenwein 3-6, 6-2, 6-4.

That turned the deciding point to No. 5 singles where Oberg took the first set over Kuljanin by a 6-1 margin. Kuljanin answered with a 6-3 victory in the second set and then pulled out the tiebreaker in the third by a 7-3 margin.

Portland will return home next weekend to host Seattle U. on Friday at noon and then UC Irvine on Saturday at 10 a.m. Both matches will be played at the Louisiana Pacific Tennis Center with live video and scoring available at PortlandPilots.com.

Boise State 4, Portland 3
Boise, Idaho (Boas Indoor Tennis Center)
Feb 10, 2017

Singles
1. LUKIC, Jelena (POR) def. Kantenwein,Hanna (BSU-W) 3-6, 6-2, 6-4
2. LAZAREVIC, Jelena (POR) def. Poling,Lilian (BSU-W) 6-2, 6-2
3. Dokic,Anja (BSU-W) def. GRIGORYAN, Tatiana (POR) 6-2, 6-4
4. SOARES, Emily (POR) def. Menjivar,Nancy (BSU-W) 6-3, 3-6, 6-0
5. Kuljanin,Jovana (BSU-W) def. OBERG, Anna (POR) 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3)
6. Venter,Kirsty (BSU-W) def. OKAZAKI, Kara (POR), by forfeit

Doubles
1. LUKIC, Jelena/LAZAREVIC, Jelena (POR) def. Dokic,Anja/Poling,Lilian (BSU-W) 7-6 (7-5)
2. Kantenwein,Hanna/Menjivar,Nancy (BSU-W) def. GRIGORYAN, Tatiana/SOARES, Emily (POR) 6-4
3. Venter,Kirsty/Kuljanin,Jovana (BSU-W) def. OBERG, Anna/OKAZAKI, Kara (POR), by forfeit

Match Notes:
Portland 1-4
Boise State Women 3-1
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (6,3,2,4,1,5)