YAKIMA, Wash. - By the narrowest of margins, Whitworth University finished the 2008 Northwest Conference women's tennis tournament as conference runners-up, falling in the championship match 5-4 to Linfield College. It is the Pirates' highest finish at the NWC tournament since 2003, when the team also took second place.
Click here for match box score. The Pirates (17-5) fell behind 2-1 after the three doubles matches. Katie Staudinger and Taryn Smith won 8-1 at #3 doubles for Whitworth's only point. Justine Hays and Rachel Burns dropped a hard-fought 8-5 decision at #2 doubles. Linfield won the match by sweeping the top three singles matches. Lexy Harrington fought hard before falling 6-4, 7-5 at #2 singles. Linh Aven lost 6-3, 6-3 at #3, while Burns fell 6-1, 7-5 at #1. The bottom half of the Whitworth singles ladder was again very strong. Staudinger won 6-1, 6-4 at #4, Hays won 3-6, 6-1, 1-0 (10-2) at #5 and Smith won 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 (10-4) at #6. Staudinger finished the season with a 19-1 singles record, 16-0 vs. NWC opponents. Whitworth seniors Hays and Smith completed their Pirate careers on a high note. Hays finished with an 18-3 singles record in 2008, while Smith was 9-4. |
