VANCOUVER, Wash. - Freshman Chris Lilley picked up George Fox University's first singles win of the new men's tennis season but the Bruins still lost their second straight match, both to NCAA Division I opponents, as the Portland State University Vikings prevailed 6-1 Saturday here at the Club Green Meadows indoor courts.

Lilley notched his win at No. 3 singles over the Vikings' Abhinav Mishra 2-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-7), but PSU took the other five matches in straight sets.  Antoine Bechmann defeated Justin McClain 6-2, 6-1 at No. 1; Stratton Gilmore downed Shawn Aldrich 6-0, 6-2 at No. 2; Connor Gilmore dispatched Preston Mann 6-1, 6-0 at No. 4; Lukas Kortus overcame Drew Milton 6-2, 6-2 at No. 5; and Brent Wheeler knocked off Peter Brown 6-3, 6-0 at No. 6.

Portland State took the doubles point (Division I counts all three doubles as just one point) by winning all three contests.  It was Mishra and Bechmann over Aldrich and Lilley 8-5 at No. 1; Gilmore and Ian Risenhoover over McClain and Brown 8-4 at No. 2; and Gilmore and Kortus over Mann and Milton 8-2 at No. 3.

“The scores don't necessarily reflect it, but we were right there with those guys,” declared Bruins head coach Neal Ninteman.  “The top two doubles matches were very tight battles that hinged on just a couple shots and could have gone either way.  In singles, although we didn't play our sharpest tennis, the matches were all closely fought; they just won the big points more consistently than we did, and that's what it often comes down to in tennis. 

“Overall, I'm very proud of the way the guys have competed in our first two matches with D-I opponents (the Bruins lost 9-0 to the University of California-Davis to open the season).  I think we're very well prepared as we head into our conference play starting next week, and we're excited for what we are expecting to be to another great season.”

NEXT: George Fox opens Northwest Conference play Saturday with a 12:00 noon match against Whitworth University at the GFU campus courts.  The Bruins are coming off a 2012 season in which they went 9-3 in conference play, finished second in the NWC Tournament, and were No. 11 in the final West Region ratings by the ITA, the same ranking with which they enter this spring season.  Whitworth's Pirates are No. 20 in the region ... Portland State (3-4) hosts Lewis & Clark University Sunday at 1:00 p.m. at the Club Green Meadows.