EUGENE, Ore. – Portland men's tennis dropped a close 5-2 decision to the Utah State Aggies Saturday in a neutral site match played at the Student Tennis Center.

The Pilots (2-5) got straight set singles wins from Nikola Keremedchiev and Stefan Skobelev at the No. 1 and No. 5 positions, respectively. The Aggies (4-2) picked up a point at No. 2 singles in straight sets. The other three singles matches all were three-setters and went Utah State's way.

The doubles point also went to the Aggies with wins at No. 2 and No. 3. Portland's No. 1 tandem of Keremedchiev and Cade Fernando were 6-2 winners.

"We played a pretty good match tonight," Portland head coach Aaron Gross said. "There was about a 10-minute span where it looked like we were going to win 5-2, but all three three-setters just slipped away from us. We will eventually get over the hump in these matches. We might be getting a little bit too passive when we get close to that finish line. The non-conference schedule has been tough and challenging, which is exactly what we need. When we do get on a roll it's going to be a good feeling because of these recent very close defeats."

The Pilots will return to Eugene next Saturday to face Liberty in a neutral site match at 1:30 p.m.

Utah State 5, Portland 2
Eugene, Ore. (Student Tennis Center)
February 7, 2026

Singles
1. Nikola Keremedchiev (POR) def. Jean-Baptiste Badon (USU) 7-6 (4), 6-4
2. Xavier Calvelo (USU) def. Tom Garcia (POR) 6-3, 6-3
3. Eliot Nobel (USU) def. Cade Fernando (POR) 6-3, 3-6, 6-2
4. Roman Venger (USU) def. Lucas Kimelman (POR) 7-6 (5), 1-6, 7-5
5. Stefan Skobelev (POR) def. Jakub Medved (USU) 7-5, 6-4
6. Dmitri Goubin (USU) def. Tannor Binder (POR) 6-4, 0-6, 6-3

Doubles
1. Keremedchiev/Fernando (POR) def. Medved/Nobel (USU) 6-2
2. Emmanuel Alex/Calvelo (USU) def. Kimelman/Skobelev (POR) 6-4
3. Baon/Eemil Pasanen (USU) def. Garcia/Eli Noel (POR) 6-3

Order of Finish: Singles (2,5,1,6,3,4); Doubles (1,3,2)
  Get Your Tickets Now!
Secure your spot now for any upcoming Portland Pilots ticketed home event by visiting PortlandPilots.com/Tickets or by downloading the Portland Pilots App.  For group and fan experience package information, email pilotsboxoffice@up.edu.

Donate Today 
Fans interested in making a contribution to University of Portland Athletics can do so by clicking here. Your gift helps our over 300 student-athletes compete at the highest level – on and off the field - in the rapidly changing world of intercollegiate athletics. All gifts to Pilot Athletics are 100% tax deductible.

Follow Along With the Action
Get the latest news and information about your favorite University of Portland athletic programs by visiting PortlandPilots.com. You can also follow along for the most dynamic coverage and team-centric content by following us on Twitter, liking us on Facebook, and following us on Instagram.