By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
HAYWARD, Calif. -- The Willamette University men's tennis team played Chabot College (Calif.) in an exhibition match on Monday, March 25. The singles matches were played first, with the Bearcats splitting the six contests. Willamette lost three competitive doubles matches, as the Gladiators pulled way for a 6-3 win. Chabot improved to 15-3 on the season. The match does not impact Willamette's win-loss record because the NCAA does not include results against two-year colleges.
Winners in singles for the Bearcats were Aaron Schechter (Sr., Seattle, WA/James A. Garfield HS), Colin Fisher (Jr., Caldwell, ID/Thomas Jefferson Charter School) and Gene Perle-Jones (Jr., Eugene, OR/North Eugene HS). Schechter rallied from a one-set deficit to outlast Jay Pandit at #2 singles, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4. Fisher won #3 singles over Sam Smith, also in three sets, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2. Perle-Jones earned his win at #4 singles, as he downed Ben Truong, 7-5, 5-7, 6-2.
The win for Andrew Wirjadisastra of Chabot over WU's Endy Zarata also went three sets. Wirjadisastra rallied for a 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 triumph. Both of Chabot's other singles victories were in straight sets, but each required a tie-breaker in one of the sets. At #1 singles, Roger Wen prevailed for the Gladiators against Andrew Kabacy (Fr., Vancouver, WA/Skyview HS), 7-6 (8-6), 6-4. In the #5 singles match, Noah Moeckelmann defeated Luke Hiserman (So., Monterey, CA/Pacific Grove HS), 7-6 (9-7), 6-0.
With the overall match tied up at 3-3 after singles, the Gladiators took charge during the doubles matches. At #1 doubles, Wen and Keegan Yap held off Kabacy and Schechter, 8-5. The #2 doubles match went to Chabot's Pandit and Truong, who downed Fisher and Perle-Jones, 8-5. In #3 doubles, Smith and Moeckelmann won for Cahbot, 8-5, against Hiserman and Ethan Frank (Jr., Lahaina, HI/Maui Preparatory Academy).
The Bearcats' next match is scheduled for Saturday, April 6 against Whitman College at the WU Tennis Courts. Match time is set for 11 a.m. (PDT). Whitman is ranked #19 in the nation in NCAA Division III.
Big Moment of the Match for Willamette
Gene Perle-Jones won the last singles match to be completed,
as he pulled the Bearcats into a 3-3 tie with Chabot entering the
doubles matches. Jones took the #4 singles match by outlasting
Ben Truong, 7-5, 5-7, 6-2.