By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
LOS ALTOS HILLS, Calif. -- Foothill College (Calif.) downed Willamette University, 9-0, in men's tennis on Saturday, March 23. With the win, the Owls improved to 10-1 on the season. The match does not impact Willamette's win-loss record because the NCAA does not count results against two-year colleges.
The Owls won two close doubles matches while building a 3-0 lead. At #1 doubles, Ryo Kojima and Nick Khamphilath defeated Willamette's team of Andrew Kabacy (Fr., Vancouver, WA/Skyview HS) and Aaron Schechter (Sr., Seattle, WA/James A. Garfield HS), 8-4. In the #2 doubles match, Yo Tokoyama and Levi Vigdorchik of Foothill outlasted Colin Fisher (Jr., Caldwell, ID/Thomas Jefferson Charter School) and Gene Perle-Jones (Jr., Eugene, OR/North Eugene HS), 8-5. Foothill also won #3 doubles, as Taiki Maeda and Justine Ip moved past Luke Hiserman (So., Monterey, CA/Pacific Grove HS) and Charles Pezeshki (Fr., Pullman, WA/Pullman HS), 8-2.
Five of the singles matches went to the Owls in straight sets, but the top match was decided by a super tie-breaker played instead of a third set. Kojima won the battle at #1 singles by rallying for a 2-6, 7-5, 10-4 victory against Kabacy. At #6 singles, Ip narrowly defeated Pezeshki in a first set tie-breaker, 7-6 (7-4), before winning the second set, 6-1.
In the #2 singles match, Khamphilath held off Schechter in the first set, 6-3, and then won the second set, 6-1. Tokoyama won by the same scores, 6-3, 6-1, against Perle-Jones at #4 singles. Also earning singles victories for Foothill were Maeda at the #3 position and Vigdorchik at the #5 position.
Willamette will take on Holy Names University in Oakland, California, on Sunday March 24. Match time is scheduled for 10 a.m. (PDT).