HILLSBORO, ORE. -- Willamette University achieved an 8-1 victory over Pacific University on Sunday, April 13 at the Portland CC Rock Creek Campus, as the Bearcats concluded the regular season with an 8-8 record in Northwest Conference play. The win allowed the Bearcats to clinch the #5 seed in the NWC Tournament.
WU improved to 8-11 on the season. Pacific finished its schedule at 1-17 overall, including 1-15 in the Northwest Conference.
The Bearcats will open the six-team NWC Tournament against #4-seeded Whitman College (10-5 with one regular season match remaining). In other first round action, Lewis & Clark College (11-5), seeded #3, will face the University of Puget Sound (7-9), seeded #6.
Linfield College (16-0), the top team during the regular season, and #2-seeded Whitworth University (13-2 with one match left) will receive byes in the first round. The NWC Tournament is slated for April 18-19 in Yakima, Wash.
Against Pacific on Sunday, the Bearcats surged out to a 3-0 lead by sweeping the doubles matches. The #1 doubles match was won by Alaine Anderson (Sr., Santa Ana, CA/Foothill HS) and Jamie Slonaker (Fr., Bainbridge Island, WA/Bainbridge HS) over Dayna Wong and Jamie Yoshino, 8-2.
Willamette also won five of six matches in singles. Tiffany Kam (Sr., Pearl City, HI/Punahou School) needed a tie-breaker to defeat Yoshino in the first set at #1 singles, 7-6 (7-5), but breezed through the second set, 6-0.
Alyssa Morrison (So., Anacortes, WA/Anacortes HS) won #2 singles for Willamette, as she downed Wong, 6-0, 6-4. Anderson took #3 singles for WU in straight sets over Sami Richards without losing a game.
Abby Funabiki (Jr., Pullman, WA/Pullman HS) of Willamette outlasted Sophie Waddington at #4 singles, ultimately winning in a super tie-breaker instead of a third set, 5-7, 6-3, 10-6. Brooke Sessums (Fr., Stayton, OR/Stayton HS) completed WU's list of singles victories, as she won the #6 position, 6-2, 6-2, over Leslie Nguyen.
Pacific's lone triumph was at #5 singles. Tessa Krebs won for the Boxers, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4, in a close match against Slonaker.
Sunday, April 13
At Portland Community College Rock Creek Campus, Hillsboro, Ore.
Willamette University 8, Pacific University 1
Singles
#1 - Tiffany Kam (WU) defeated Jamie Yoshino (PAC), 7-6 (7-5), 6-0
#2 - Alyssa Morrison (WU) defeated Dayna Wong (PAC), 6-0, 6-4
#3 - Alaine Anderson (WU) defeated Sami Richards (PAC), 6-0, 6-0
#4 - Abby Funabiki (WU) defeated Sophie Waddington (PAC), 5-7, 6-3, 10-6*
#5 - Tessa Krebs (PAC) defeated Jamie Slonaker (WU), 7-6 (7-4), 6-4
#6 - Brooke Sessums (WU) defeated Leslie Nguyen (PAC), 6-2, 6-2
Doubles
#1 - Anderson and Slonaker (WU) defeated Yoshino and Wong (PAC), 8-2
#2 - Kam and Funabiki (WU) defeated Waddington and Krebs (PAC), 8-2
#3 - Morrison and Samantha Wong (WU) defeated Vena Haynes and Laura Swenson (PAC), 8-5
* Tie-breaker played instead of a third set
Records: Willamette is 8-11 overall, 8-8 in the NWC; Pacific is 1-17 overall, 1-15 in the NWC.
Alyssa Morrison won #2 singles over Dayna Wong, 6-0, 6-4
