By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

ABILENE, Texas -- Willamette University won four of six singles matches against McMurry University on Wednesday, March 27, with victories by Andrew Kabacy (Grad., Vancouver, WA/Skyview HS), Quentin Nigbur (Sr., Newberg, OR/Newberg HS), AJ Avansino (So., Reno, NV/Reno HS), and Zack Olander (Fy., Bend, OR/Summit HS). McMurry won the overall match 5-4 by taking two singles matches and earning a sweep in doubles, including a hard fought win in a tie-breaker at #1 doubles

McMurry improved to 5-8 on the season. Willamette moved to 0-11. The Bearcat will end their three-match road trip to Texas by taking on Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas, on Thursday, March 28 at 12 p.m. CDT / 10 a.m. PDT.

The three victories earned by McMurry in doubles gave the War Hawks a big lift on their way to winning the overall match. At #1 doubles, Nicolas Villalovos and Eh Kuh Soe of McMurry outlasted Kabacy and Nigbur of Willamette, 8-7. The match was tied at 7-7 before the War Hawks outscored Kabacy and Nigbur in the tie-breaker by a 7-5 score. In the #2 match, Mason Bagwell and Eli Frosch of MU defeated Willamette's team of Velibor Mladenovic (So., Belgrade, Serbia/First Belgrade Grammar School) and Olander, 8-2. During the #3 match, Jack Greenwald and Khoen Gregory of the War Hawks, outscored Avansino and Andre Lief (Jr., Anchorage, AK/West Anchorage HS), 8-5.

Willamette stormed back in singles, finishing one win away from overtaking the War Hawks. At #1 singles, Kabacy won two competitive sets with Villalovos by scores of 6-3 and 6-4. At #3 singles, Nigbur and Bagwell played a very close match, with Nigbur gaining the edge by achieving a two-point win in a super tie-breaker, 6-4, 5-7, 11-9. Avansino moved past Frosch by holding off the War Hawk player in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3. In the match at #5 singles, Olander rallied from a set down to outlast Greenwald in a super tie-breaker, 1-6, 6-0, 10-4.

The War Hawks earned wins at #2 and #6 singles. In the #2 match, Soe defeated Mladenovic of Willamette, 6-1, 6-3. The #6 singles match advanced to a super tie-breaker before Gregory of MU moved past Lief, 6-2, 3-6, 10-5.