Spokane, Wash. - Whitworth University scarred six-time defending Northwest Conference women's tennis champion Linfield College on Saturday night, but eventually fell to the visiting Wildcats 5-4. Earlier in the day the Pirates defeated visiting Willamette University 9-0.

Click here for Willamette match box score. (Whitworth 9, Willamette 0)

Linh Aven came from behind to defeat Alaine Anderson 2-6, 7-6 (2), 10-4 in the closest singles match (#3) of the Willamette contest. Aven and Lexy Harrington teamed to defeat Anderson and Jamie Slonaker 8-3 at #1 doubles.

Harrington defeated Alyssa Morrison 6-4, 6-1 at #2 singles, while Rachel Burns knocked off Tiffany Kam 6-0, 6-4 at #1 singles. Burns and Justine Hays won 8-5 at #2 doubles. Hays won her match at #5 singles 6-1, 6-1 over Slonaker.

Whitworth swept the regular season series against Willamette (4-10 overall, 4-7 NWC).

Click here for the Linfield match box score (Linfield 5, Whitworth 4)

In Saturday night's match up between the top two teams in the NWC and two regionally-ranked opponents, visiting Linfield (10-5 overall, 10-0 NWC, #7 west region) held off Whitworth (12-4, 10-2 NWC, #13 west region) to win its 91st consecutive Northwest Conference match.

The score was 4-4 before Linfield's Sarah Click and Whitworth's Taryn Smith tossed up the first serve in the #6 singles match. Click won the match 6-4, 6-2 to give the Wildcats the clinching point.

The host Pirates grabbed a 2-1 lead after the doubles, and it was nearly 3-0 but Aven and Harrington could not pull off the upset of regionally-ranked Kasey Kuenzli and Sallie Katter at #1 doubles. Kuenzli and Katter won 9-7. Whitworth's Burns and Hays defeated Kelli Sides and Molly Nelson 8-5 at #2 doubles and Smith and Katie Staudinger won 8-4 in the #3 doubles match with Click and Sophie Larson.

Kuenzli pulled out a tight 6-4, 6-4 win over Burns at #1 singles, while Sides defeated Harrington 6-3, 6-2 at #2 singles. But Whitworth got two points from Staudinger at #4 singles (6-4, 6-0 over Larson) and Hays (6-1, 6-4 over Nelson) at #5 singles.

The closest individual match of the night came at the #3 slot where Linfield's Katter edged Whitworth's Aven 6-2, 4-6, 7-5.

The Wildcats are now virtually assured of the top seed in the upcoming NWC tournament. Whitworth has four NWC matches left, beginning with next weekend at Pacific Lutheran and Puget Sound. The Pirates continue to hold onto second place in the conference standings.