By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University's #1 doubles team of Velibor Mladenovic (Fy., Belgrade, Serbia/First Belgrade Grammar School) and Andrew Kabacy (Grad., Vancouver, WA/Skyview HS) defeated Colorado College's top team during a non-conference men's tennis match at the Salem Tennis and Swim Club on Monday, March 27. Mladenovic and Kabacy outlasted Jack Delafield and Aiden Little, 8-7 after winning the tie-breaker 7-5. Kabacy also earned a win for the Bearcats at #1 singles.

In the #1 singles match, Kabacy took on Little. After winning the first set, 6-1, Kabacy clinched the match by outscoring Little, 7-5, in the second set. Lucas Pastor of the Tigers downed Mladenovic at #2 singles, 6-0, 6-1, while Delafield of CC held off Quentin Nigbur (Sr., Newberg, OR/Newberg HS) of Willamette at #3 singles, 6-3, 6-3. Other winners in singles action for Colorado College were Andrew Kaelin at #4, James Andrews at #5, and Nick Bishop at #6.

Willamette was competitive in all three doubles matches, although the Tigers registered wins at the #2 and #3 positions. At #2 doubles, Kaelin and Nate Beerman defeated Nigbur and Andrew Kropp (Sr., Bend, OR/Summit HS), 8-4. In the #3 doubles match, Bishop and August Knox won against Andre Lief (So., Anchorage, AK/West Anchorage HS) and Luca Casano (Fy., Honolulu, HI/Punahou School) of WU, 8-3.

Colorado College won the overall match 7-2. The Tigers upped their record to 3-5, while Willamette fell to 0-10.

The Bearcats are scheduled to host Whitworth University in a Northwest Conference match on Saturday, April 1. Match time is set for 4 p.m. (PDT) at the WU Tennis Courts if weather allows, or at the Salem Tennis and Swim Club if the match has to be moved indoors.