Portland men’s tennis has qualified as the No. 5 seed for the West Coast Conference Championships and will play against No. 55-ranked Loyola Marymount University (LMU), seeded fourth, in the opening round on Thursday, Apr. 21. The match is scheduled for 9 a.m. at Green Valley Country Club, with semifinals set for Friday and the championship match on Saturday.
The tournament appearance marks the fifth consecutive season that Portland has qualified under head coach Aaron Gross. This achievement comes after the Pilots secured their spot by winning their final two league games of the season, bringing them into the tournament with a three-match win streak.
Senior Nikola Keremedchiev and redshirt junior Cade Fernando have played key roles during this dual season. Together, they hold a 19-5 record in doubles matches, including a 10-4 mark at No. 1 dual doubles. In singles play, Keremedchiev is currently at 16-8 overall and holds a strong record of 10-4 when playing at No.1 singles position. Fernando has contributed wins from both No.1 and No.2 positions with an overall tally of 19 victories and a dual record of 12-6.
Other team members have also made significant contributions this year: Tannor Binder has achieved fifteen singles wins while Stefan Skobelev follows closely with fourteen.
The WCC Championships Tournament Central Page provides information about event schedules and live coverage links for those interested in following along.
