Men’s Basketball
Current Record: 16-14
Breakout Player: Sal Nuhu
Overview: Portland State men’s basketball appears to be back on track after injuries plagued the Vikings throughout the early part of the season—seniors Matt Hauser and Sal Nuhu missed a combined 14 games for the Vikings this season. Currently riding a four game winning streak, the Vikings’ biggest win of the season came earlier this year in an 88-81 win over Big Sky conference-leading Montana. Junior Holland Woods scored a career-high 39 points and set a Big Sky conference record for free throws made in a game without a miss, going 21-21. Sal Nuhu has been a force for the Vikings this year when healthy. Nuhu has six double-doubles on the season and currently leads the Big Sky in blocks per game (2.2). The Vikings’ next game will be against Northern Arizona at the Viking Pavilion on March 5.
Women’s Basketball
Current Record: 13-15
Breakout Player: Desirae Hansen
Overview: Portland State women’s basketball put an end to their seven game losing streak on Feb. 29 with an 88-63 win over Weber State. The win coincided with two milestones for the Vikings that day, as lone senior Jordan Stotler was honored before the game for Senior Day, and junior Kylie Jimenez surpassed 1,000 points for her career, becoming the 19th player in PSU history to do so. Sophomore Desirae Hansen has been on a tear for PSU the past few games, combining for 46 points over her last two games and reaching double figures in each of the previous nine. The Vikings earned a big win earlier this season when they put an end to Northern Arizona’s five game winning streak with a 66-54 victory at the Pavilion. The Vikings next game will be a rematch with Northern Arizona when they travel to face the Lumberjacks on March 4.
(Photos courtesy of GoViks) GoViks
Men’s Tennis
Current Record: 4-3
Breakout Player: Sam Roberts
Overview: Portland State men’s tennis is in the midst of a four game winning streak after going 4-1 in the month of February. Currently undefeated (2-0) in conference play, the Vikings’ biggest win this season came on Feb. 22 in a 4-3 upset victory over Northern Arizona, the favorite to win the Big Sky conference. Junior Sam Roberts has won his last four matches to improve to 6-5 on the season. The Vikings’ next match will be March 7 when they travel to take on Montana State.
Women’s Tennis
Current Record: 3-6
Breakout Players: Jacinta Milenkoski & Eszter Zador
Overview: It’s been a tale of two seasons for Portland State’s women’s tennis team. With a 7-0 win over Whitman College on Feb. 22, the Vikings improved to 3-1 on the season when playing at home. With their 7-0 loss to Eastern Washington Mar. 1, the Vikings fell to 0-5 on the season in road games. Picking up wins on the road has been a challenge for PSU this season, but one bright spot has been the doubles pairing of sophomore Jacinta Milenkoski and senior Eszter Zador. The pair have earned a team-best five wins on the season as a duo, dropping only three matches up to this point. The Vikings’ next match will be March 7 when they travel to the Vancouver Tennis Center—where all PSU home tennis matches are held—for a matchup with Idaho State.
Softball
Current Record: 5-15
Breakout Player: Olivia Grey
Overview: Portland State softball has spent the early chapter of the season participating in various tournaments. The Vikings have faced a number of stout opponents in tournament play thus far, earning five wins through the first four tournaments they’ve participated in. The Vikings opened the 2020 season with an impressive 13-2 win against Western Michigan. Freshman pitcher Olivia Grey has been the Vikings’ ace this season, starting a team-high seven games for PSU and allowing a team-low 3.79 earned run average. Grey also leads all PSU pitchers with 44 strikeouts on the season. The Vikings’ next head off to Eugene to participate in the Oregon Invite on March 7, where their first game will be against Loyola Marymount.
