(WOMEN'S TENNIS) WALLA WALLA, WASH. -- The difference between winning and losing was small for Willamette University on Sunday, March 18, as the Bearcats lost two close matches in doubles and one in singles before falling to Whitman College, 7-2, in Northwest Conference action. If the three close matches had ended in WUs favor, the Bearcats would have claimed a 5-4 upset win. Instead, Whitman improved to 9-5 overall and to 7-3 in the NWC. Willamette dropped to 3-9 overall, 3-7 in the conference.
Katie Collier and Margo Lentz of Whitman was a highly-competitive match at #1 doubles, edging out Tiffany Kam (Jr., Pearl City, HI/Punahou HS) and Alaine Anderson (Jr., Santa Ana, CA/Foothills HS), 9-7. The Missionaries also won a close decision at #2 doubles, as Hadley DeBree and Divneet Kaur outlasted Willamettes Alyssa Morrison (Fr., Anacortes, WA/Anacortes HS) and Abby Funabiki (So., Pullman, WA/Pullman HS), 8-6. The Bearcats #3 doubles team of Emily Elliott (Fr., Woodside, CA/Woodside Priory) and Christy Newell (Jr., Vancouver, WA/Jesuit HS) defeated Emily Smith and Katie Oost, 8-4.
The closest match in singles was at the #3 position, where Lentz of Whitman defeated Morrison from Willamette, 6-2, 4-6, 10-6. The match was decided in a super tie-breaker to 10 points instead of a third set. Willamettes only win in singles was registered by Anderson at the #2 position, as she defeated Collier, 7-5, 6-2.
Willamette will play its next two matches in Texas. The Bearcats are set to take on Texas Lutheran University in Seguin, Texas, on Monday, March 26 at 3:30 p.m. Willamette is scheduled to play at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, on Tuesday, March 27 at 4 p.m.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
At Whitman College Tennis Courts, Walla Walla, Wash.
Whitman College 7, Willamette University 2
Singles
# 1 -- Hadley DeBree (WTMN) defeated Tiffany Kam (WU), 6-0, 6-1
# 2 -- Alaine Anderson (WU) defeated Katie Collier, 7-5, 6-2
# 3 -- Margo Lentz (WTMN) defeated Alyssa Morrison (WU), 6-2, 4-6, (10-6)*
# 4 -- Emily Smith (WTMN) defeated Emily Elliott (WU), 6-1, 6-0
# 5 -- Katie Oost (WTMN) defeated Christy Newell (WU), 6-1, 6-0
# 6 -- Maura Flaherty (WTMN) defeated Caroline Much (WU), 6-1, 6-0
Doubles
# 1 -- Collier and Lentz (WTMN) defeated Kam and Anderson (WU), 9-7
# 2 -- DeBree and Divneet Kaur (WTMN) defeated Morrison and Anna Funabiki (WU), 8-6
# 3 -- Elliott and Newell (WU) defeated Smith and Oost (WTMN), 8-4
* Tie-breaker instead of third set
Records: Willamette University, 3-9 overall, 3-7 NWC; Whitman College, 9-5 overall, 7-3 NWC
