Willamette Sweeps Doubles, Defeats Bellevue (Wash.), 7-2, in Exhibition Match

Colin Fisher (Jr., Caldwell, ID/Thomas Jefferson Charter School)
Colin Fisher (Jr., Caldwell, ID/Thomas Jefferson Charter School)

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University won all three doubles matches and went on to defeat Bellevue College (Wash.), 7-2, in an exhibition match on Friday, Feb. 22 at the Salem Tennis and Swim Club. Bellevue fell to 0-3 on the season. The match against Bellevue does not go on Willamette's record because the NCAA does not count results against two-year colleges.

All of the doubles matches were won by the Bearcats with matching scores of 8-3. At #1 doubles, Andrew Kabacy (Fr., Vancouver, WA/Skyview HS) and Aaron Schechter (Sr., Seattle, WA/James A. Garfield HS) of Willamette downed Yevgeniy Kolomiyets and Oscar Cruz.

In the #2 doubles match, WU's team of Colin Fisher (Jr., Caldwell, ID/Thomas Jefferson Charter School) and Gene Perle-Jones (Jr., Eugene, OR/North Eugene HS) defeated Nick Berni and Hayden Wood of Bellevue. At #3 doubles, Willamette's team of Luke Hiserman (So., Monterey, CA/Pacific Grove HS) and Charles Pezeshki (Fr., Pullman, WA/Pullman HS) was victorious over Ivan Paredes and Ryan Ung.

The Bearcats added four wins in singles play. Kobacy led the lineup with a 6-3, 6-3 triumph at #1 singles over Kolomiyets. Fisher took the win at #3 singles, as he moved past Berni, 6-1, 6-3. At #4 singles, Perle-Jones held of Hayden Wood in a super tie-breaker played instead of a third set, 6-0, 5-7, 11-9.  Endy Zarate (Sr., Salem, OR/McKay HS) of WU swept through #6 singles with a 6-0, 6-0 win against Ung.

Bellevue's two wins in singles were at the #2 and #5 positions. At #2 singles, Oscar Cruz rallied past Schechter in a super tie-breaker following split sets, 3-6, 6-3, 10-7. In the #5 singles match, Paredes downed Hiserman, 6-2, 6-2.

Willamette will play again on Sunday, Feb. 24, when the Bearcats will take on Lewis & Clark College in a non-conference match in Portland, Oregon. The action is set to begin at 11 a.m. (PST).

Gene Perle-Jones (Jr., Eugene, OR/North Eugene HS)


Big Moment of the Match for Willamette

Gene Perle-Jones won a close match at #4 singles by outlasting Hayden
Wood of Bellevue, 6-0, 5-7, 11-9, in a super tie-breaker played instead of
a third set. Super tie-breakers continue until a player reaches 10 points, but
the winner must prevail by at least two points. With the tie-breaker knotted
at 9-9, Jones took the next two points to claim the overall #4 match.