(WOMEN'S TENNIS) SALEM, ORE. -- Pacific Lutheran University and Willamette University played a very competitive women's tennis match on Saturday, March 31. When the action was completed at the Courthouse Tennis Club, the visiting Lutes owned a 6-3 victory over the Bearcats. PLU won two of three doubles matches and claimed four wins in singles to improve to 10-3 overall, 8-3 in the Northwest Conference. Willamette fell to 5-11 overall, 4-8 in the NWC.
Every singles match had one set decided in a tie-breaker or by a 7-5 score. Two of the matches, at the #2 and #4 positions, were decided in a third set.
PLU won both of the three-set matches to win the overall competition. Erika Feltus of PLU downed Tiffany Kam (Jr., Pearl City, HI/Punahou HS) at #2 singles, 6-7 (1-7), 6-2, 6-3. Bria Smith won for the Loggers at #4 singles, as she defeated Willamette's Alyssa Morrison (Fr., Anacortes, WA/Anacortes HS), 6-3, 2-6, 6-3.
Willamette won #3 doubles, plus #3 and #5 singles. Susan Butler (Sr., Boise, ID/Boise HS) and Emily Elliott (Fr., Woodside, CA/Woodside Priory) combined to win the #3 doubles match, 8-6, over the UPS team of Tracy Fujitani and Ashley Brooks. Alaine Anderson (Jr., Santa Anna, CA/Foothills HS), who has been playing exceptionally well for Willamette recently, provided the Bearcats with another solid performance at #3 singles, as she edged Ashley Coats, 6-3, 7-5. Abby Funabiki (So., Pullman, WA/Pullman HS) won for WU at #5 singles, 6-4, 7-5, over Fujitani.
The Bearcats will play their next match on Friday, April 6 against Linfield College at the Willamette University Tennis Courts. Match time is set for 3 p.m. (PDT). Willamette also will play at home on Saturday, April 7, when the Bearcats host Lewis & Clark College at 10 a.m. (PDT).
Saturday, March 31
At the Courthouse Tennis Club, Salem, Ore.
Pacific Lutheran University 6, @ Willamette University 3
Singles
#1 - Nicole Petrzelka (PLU) defeated Susan Butler (WU), 6-2, 7-5
#2 - Erika Feltus (PLU) defeated Tiffany Kam (WU), 6-7 (1-7), 6-2, 6-3
#3 - Alaine Anderson (WU) defeated Ashley Coats (PLU), 6-3, 7-5
#4 - Bria Smith (PLU) defeated Alyssa Morrison (WU), 6-3, 2-6, 6-3
#5 - Abby Funabiki (WU) defeated Tracy Fujitani (PLU), 6-4, 7-5
#6 - Ashley Brooks (PLU) defeated Emily Elliott (WU), 7-5, 6-0
Doubles
#1 - Petrzelka and Feltus (PLU) defeated Kam and Anderson (WU), 8-5
#2 - Coats and Smith (PLU) defeated Morrison and Funabiki (WU), 8-3
#3 - Butler and Elliott (WU) defeated Fujitani and Brooks (PLU), 8-6
Records: Willamette is 5-11 overall, 4-8 in the NWC; Pacific Lutheran is 10-3 overall, 8-3 in the NWC
