By Sara Brooks, Assistant Athletics Communications Director, (503) 370-6219

SALEM, ORE. -- The Willamette University women's tennis team flourished in singles play and captured a 6-3 victory over visiting Pacific University on Friday, March 19. The Bearcats trailed 2-1 after doubles play but won five of six singles matches to earn the victory.

WU moved into fourth place in the Northwest Conference standings, one-half match in front of Lewis & Clark College (7-4). The Bearcats are 8-4 overall and 8-4 in the NWC. Pacific fell to 4-9 overall, 4-8 in the NWC (6th place).

Natalia Agarycheva (Jr., Vancouver, WA/Prairie HS/U. of Northern Colorado) led the way for WU with a victory in #1 singles. Agarycheva defeated Cat Goya, 6-3, 6-1. Agarycheva is now 10-1 overall and has won her last nine matches in a row.

Willamette also earned victories in the #3 singles through #6 singles spots. Alyssa Morrison (Sr., Anacortes, WA/Anacortes HS) achieved the victory in the singles #5 match, as she defeated Stephanie Velligas, 6-4, 6-3. Morrison has now earned nine victories in singles play this season.

Fabi Dieguez (So., Salem, OR/Sprague HS/Oregon State Univ.) won at #4 singles. She took the first set against Rachel Mizuno, 6-1, then rallied from a 5-4 deficit in the second set for a 7-5 win.

Pacific provided solid opposition during the second set at #4 and #5 singles, but Dieguez and Morrison prevailed, winning their matches at almost the same time to clinch the team victory for the Bearcats.

The Bearcats will head south to face California Lutheran University, Chapman University and Occidental College on March 25-27. WU returns home on March 31 to host NWC rival Lewis & Clark College.

Friday, March. 19
At WU Tennis Courts, Salem, Ore.

Willamette University 6, Pacific University 3

Singles
#1 - Natalia Agarycheva (WU) defeated Cat Goya (PAC), 6-3, 6-1
#2 - Megan Yoshimoto (PAC) defeated Shannon Palmer (WU), 5-7, 6-2, 1-0 (10-6)*
#3 - Katie Huber (WU) defeated Dayna Wong (PAC), 6-1, 6-0
#4 - Fabi Dieguez (WU) defeated Rachel Mizuno (PAC), 6-1, 7-5
#5 - Alyssa Morrison (WU) defeated Stephanie Velligas (PAC), 6-4, 6-3
#6 - Jamie Slonaker (WU) defeated Dawn Greene (PAC), 6-3, 6-2

Doubles
#1 - Goya and Yoshimoto (PAC) defeated Agarycheva and Palmer (WU), 8-4
#2 - Wong and Mizuno (PAC) defeated Huber and Dieguez (WU), 8-3
#3 - Morrison and Slonaker (WU) defeated Velligas and Michelle Soga (PAC), 8-4

* Tie-breaker played instead of a third set

Records:
Willamette University is 8-4 overall, 8-4 NWC. Pacific University is 4-9 overall, 4-8 NWC.