SPOKANE, Wash. - One month after a frustrating 5-4 loss at Willamette, Whitworth figured out how to beat the visiting Bearcats in doubles while pulling out a 5-4 Northwest Conference men's tennis victory on Friday night at the Scotford Tennis Center.
The Pirates (8-5 overall, 8-4 NWC) won two of the three doubles matches against Willamette (5-3, 5-3) to even the season series with the Bearcats. In the first meeting of the season Willamette won all three doubles contests, but on Friday Collin Barrett and Kellen Oetgen made quick work of Alex Sepenzis and Jordan Helvie of Willamette with an 8-1 win at #3 doubles and a quick point for the Pirates. Michael Shelton and Joe Wales gave the Bucs a second doubles point with an 8-4 win over Cody Ferguson and Micah Mack at #1 doubles. Andrew Murakami and Matt Houser picked up Willamette's only doubles point with an 8-3 win over Collin Zalewski and Henry Williams. Willamette would tie the team score after the top three singles matches. Murakami defeated Wales 6-4, 6-3 at #2 singles, while Houser topped Zalewski 6-1, 7-5 at #3 singles. But Shelton came back from a 4-1 deficit in the first set to top Ferguson 6-4, 7-5 at #1 singles. Two of the bottom three matches broke quickly to each side. Willamette's Sepenzis ran past Williams 6-2, 6-1 at #4 singles while Whitworth's Oetgen defeated Mack 6-2, 6-3 at #5 singles. The #6 singles match finally decided the team score and Barrett held off Michael Moore 6-0, 4-6, 6-2 to clich the team win for the Bucs. Whitworth will take on Lewis & Clark on Saturday at 10:00 a.m., while Willamette travels to play Whitman in Walla Walla. |
