SPOKANE, Wash. - The Whitworth men's tennis team came back from a challenging spring break trip last week and clinched a spot in the upcoming NWC tournament be sweeping George Fox and Lewis & Clark at home. Now that they know they are in the six-team tournament at the end of the year, the Pirates will work on their seed for the tournament. They can possibly improve their seeding with strong showings this weekend at Pacific Lutheran (Friday at 2:00 pm) and Puget Sound (Saturday at 11:00 am). The Pirates got a taste of top-level competition last week in Hilton Head, S.C. Whitworth began the week with a narrow 5-4 loss to Oberlin (OH). Ed Anegon and Scott Donnell won 9-8 at #1 doubles. Then the teams split the six singles matches. Donnell won 6-2, 6-2 at #3, Kellen Oetgen won 0-6, 6-3 (10-6) at #4 and Colin Storm won 6-1, 6-0 at #6. In their next two matches, the Pirates lost 9-0 to NCAA DII Missouri-St. Louis and 9-0 to NCAA DIII nationally-ranked Wis.-Whitewater. Colin Storm went to three sets in his #6 singles match against UMSL and Donnell went three sets in his #2 singles match against UWW. Last weekend Whitworth returned to Spokane for a match against George Fox on Saturday morning, and also broke in the new bubble at the Scotford Tennis Center. The Pirates won convincingly 8-1. Michael Carlson teamed with Oetgen to win 8-0 at #2 doubles. Carlson went on to win 6-2, 6-2 at #3 singles, while Oetgen won 7-5, 6-2 at #5 singles. Anegon and Scott Bourne won 8-4 at #1 doubles then each also won his singles match. The win clinched sixth place in the NWC standings and a spot in the conference tournament. After a 9-0 loss to nationally-ranked and league-leading Whitman later on Saturday, Whitworth gained a measure of revenge against Lewis & Clark by winning 8-1. Earlier in the season the Pirates had lost to the Pioneers 5-4 in Portland. But Whitworth took two of three doubles matches then rolled through the singles matches unbeaten. Anegon, Donnell and Carlson all defeated players they had lost to in the earlier meeting. |
