SALEM, Ore. – The Willamette University men's tennis team suffered a tough 7-0 defeat against the Linfield Wildcats Saturday in Salem. While the Bearcats battled hard throughout the afternoon, the Wildcats proved too strong, sweeping all six singles matches and three doubles contests.

The doubles matches set the tone for the afternoon. While the Bearcat pairings of Snyder/Avansino, Livengood/Olander, and Casano/Freeland fought valiantly, they couldn't quite overcome the Wildcats' strong play, falling 6-3, 6-1, and 6-1, respectively.

The singles matches followed a similar pattern. AJ Avansino and Hudson Snyder, two key Bearcat players, put up a fight in their respective singles matches against Lerfald and Stone, but ultimately fell short, losing 6-2, 6-1 and 6-4, 6-4.  The entire Bearcat lineup was able to push the Wildcats in singles play, with Jake Freeland and Luca Casano battling before losing their final sets 6-4.

Men's Tennis returns home on Sunday, March 16th, when they host the University of Puget Sound in a match scheduled for 11:00 am.  The Bearcats will be looking for revenge against the Loggers, who won the first matchup of the season on February 16th.