STOCKTON, Calif. – The Portland men's tennis team secured a 4-2 win over the Pacific Tigers on Saturday in West Coast Conference action at the Zimmerman Tennis Center. The victory clinches a weekend road sweep for Portland and secures the squad a spot in the six-team WCC Championships.

Portland once again got great production out of its three, fifth-year seniors in earning the program's first win against Pacific in Stockton.

The Tigers stole the doubles point with wins at No. 1 and No. 2. Portland's Issa Yoshida and freshman Cade Fernando picked up a 6-4 at the No. 3 position.

Yoshida, along with fellow seniors Sema Pankin and Eleftherios Neos, then cruised in singles to bring Portland the momentum. Pankin scored a 6-0, 6-1 win at the top of the lineup against Peter Alam. Yoshida then beat Coby McCaig 6-1, 6-2 at No. 6, followed by Neos defeating Ran Amar 6-2, 6-3 at No. 2.

Pacific earned a win at No. 3 to make the team score 3-2. Portland was able to clinch with Nikolas Tvedt at No. 4 with a 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 win against Tiago Silva. The last singles match was Maxim Groysman who was in a 2-2 tie in the third set when the match ended.

"That was a great milestone win today," Portland head coach Aaron Gross said. "Our program's first win on the road in Stockton. It's a very difficult place to play and the crowd was very into it today combined with coming off a tight one from yesterday. We struggled both matches in doubles, but today was especially disappointing, but I love how we responded. Our three seniors came roaring back for the second day in a row to get singles wins, and then Tvedt came up big in the clincher. We definitely had to get gritty today. It's a tough place to play, especially overcoming losing the doubles point, I'm proud of the character the guys showed today and the composure as well."

The Pilots will conclude the regular season at Gonzaga on Saturday at noon. Portland has secured no worse than fifth-place in the league standings and will participate in the six-team 2023 WCC Championships held in San Diego April 27-29.

Portland 4, Pacific 2
Stockton, Calif. (Eve Zimmerman Tennis Center)
April 25, 2023

Singles
1. #100 Sema Pankin (POR) def. Peter Alam (PAC) 6-0, 6-1
2. Eleftherios Neos (POR) def. Ran Amar (PAC) 6-2, 6-3
3. Terence Das (PAC) def. Nicolas Ocana (POR) 6-2, 6-2
4. Nikolas Tvedt (POR) def. Tiago Silva (PAC) 6-1, 4-6, 6-4
5. Andre Rodeia (PAC) vs. Maxim Groysman (POR) 4-6, 6-4, 2-2, unfinished
6. Issa Yoshida (POR) def. Coby McCaig (PAC) 6-1, 6-2

Doubles
1. Alam/Rodeia (PAC) def. Pankin/Neos (POR) 7-6
2. Amar/Das (PAC) def. Ocana/Tvedt (POR) 6-3
3. Yoshida/Cade Fernando (POR) def. McCaig/Silva (PAC) 6-4

Match Notes:
Portland 11-8, 5-3 WCC
Pacific Men's Tennis 4-14, 1-6 WCC
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (1,6,2,3,4)