By Brandon Chinn, Athletics Communications Writer

SALEM, Ore. – The Willamette University women's tennis team opened Northwest Conference play with 9-0 loss to Whitman College on Saturday, Feb. 11 at the Salem Tennis and Swim Club. Whitman is ranked #26 in NCAA Division III and is #6 in the West Region, as released by the Intercollagiate Tennis Association (ITA).

The Missionaries swept doubles action, 3-0, before going on to win all six of the designated singles matches. Hannah Greenberg and Mary Hill swept Alexis Gjurasic (So., Olympia, WA/Capital HS) and Mikaila Smith (Jr., Mill Valley, CA/Tamalpais HS), 8-0, in #1 doubles.

Hannah Andres (So., Sammamish, WA/Skyline HS) and Mina Mizutani (Fr., Los Alamitos, CA/Los Alamitos HS) shared a similar fate for Willamette in the #2 doubles match against Andrea Gu and Lori Sheng, suffering an 8-0 defeat.

In #3 doubles, Katie Adams (Jr., McLean, VA/American International School) and Rachel Kong (So., Hayward, CA/Castro Valley HS) battled closely with Whitman's duo of Allie Wallin and Jenna Gilbert before dropping the match, 8-4.

Whitman won all six singles matches in straight sets.

The #1 singles match pitting WU's Smith and WC's Gu was the tightest of the afternoon. Gu won the first set, 6-1, and ultimately prevailed in a closely contested second set that finished with a 6-4 result.

The Bearcats return to action on Sunday, February 12 in a non-conference affair in Salem, Ore. Start time is set for 9:00 a.m.