Portland men’s tennis players Nikola Keremedchiev and Cade Fernando were named the West Coast Conference doubles team of the week, according to a March 10 announcement from the league office. This marks the second straight week that the pair has received this recognition.
The award highlights their recent performance at the Golden State Invite, where they extended their winning streak to eight matches. Keremedchiev and Fernando secured victories over Nevada’s Rayen Hermassi and Nicolas Recoura with a score of 6-4, and New Mexico State’s Roko Stipetic and Tobias Wallin with a score of 7-5. Their match against UC Davis was abandoned while they were leading 5-4 after Portland clinched the doubles point.
With these results, Keremedchiev and Fernando improved their overall season record to 15 wins and three losses, including an 8-2 mark in dual matches at the top position in the lineup.
Portland’s team currently holds a record of five wins and seven losses. The Pilots are scheduled to host the Montana Grizzlies on Friday in their final non-conference match of the season at the Louisiana-Pacific Tennis Center. First serve is set for 10 a.m., with live coverage available through PortlandPilots.com.
Other weekly honors announced by the West Coast Conference include David Fix from Pepperdine for singles play and Manvydas Balciunas from San Diego as freshman of the week.
