SPOKANE, Wash. - One of the hottest teams in the Northwest Conference, the Whitworth women's tennis team returns home this week to host a pair of matches against Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran this weekend. A win against either one could really enhance the Pirates' standing heading into the NWC tournament later this month.

Whitworth played three matches over spring break in Hilton Head, S.C. Though the Pirates went 1-2 back there, they learned valuable lessons about playing against top-level competition. Whitworth lost to nationally-ranked Middlebury 9-0 in the first match.

On Tuesday, the 27th, the Pirates defeated Oberlin 6-3. Rachael McCoola won a hard-fought match at #1 singles 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-3, while Betsy Johnson also pulled out a three-setter at #4 2-6, 6-2, 7-5. The pair had already teamed to win 8-6 at #2 doubles. Linh Aven (#2), Katie Troxell (#3) and Taryn Smith (#5) also won their singles matches.

The final match in Hilton Head was a 7-2 loss against Wisconsin-Whitewater. But the Pirates had adjusted and played better than their loss to Middlebury. Justine Hays and Smith won their #3 doubles match 8-6, and Smith went on to win 6-3, 6-2 at #5 singles. McCoola gave her nationally-ranked opponent a stiff challenge at #1 before losing 4-6, 7-5, 10-8.

Last weekend the Pirates returned from South Carolina and headed straight to Portland for a pair of NWC matches at Lewis & Clark and George Fox. Early in the season Whitworth barely beat L&C 5-4 and had tough matches with GFU before winning 7-2. But this time the Bucs breezed to easy wins, 9-0 at George Fox and 8-1 at L&C.

Aven and Troxell pulled out a close match at #1 doubles against GFU 9-8 (7-5) before each won a pro-set match in singles (the top three singles were shortened to pro sets after Whitworth had clinched the team win with a sweep of 4-6 singles.) At Lewis & Clark on Sunday, the Pirates once again swept all three doubles matches, including an 8-2 win by Hays and Smith at #3. Hays then went on to blank her opponent 6-0, 6-0 at #6 singles, while Smith was nearly as dominant, winning 6-1, 6-1 at #5 singles.

After starting the season 2-5, Whitworth has improved its record to 8-8 overall and 7-6 in the NWC. Early in the year with lost a close 5-4 decision at PLU and played close matches before losing at UPS 7-2. The Pirates will play UPS on Friday at 3:30 pm, then host PLU on Saturday at 11:00 am.