By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

WALLA WALLA, Wash. -- The Willamette University women's tennis team played at Whitman College on Sunday, April 2, in a Northwest Conference match at the Bratton Indoor Tennis Center. The Blues defeated the Bearcats, 9-0.

Whitman improved its record to 8-4 on the season, 6-0 in the NWC. Willamette fell to 1-8 overall, 2-3 in the NWC. Both teams recently received a conference win due to Pacific Lutheran University canceling the end of its season. The matches scheduled with PLU count in the NWC standings, but they are considered "no contests" and do not count in a team's overall record.

At #1 doubles, Whitman's team of Camilla Tarpey-Schwed and Ilina Jha defeated the Bearcats' pairing of Richelle Suzuki (So., Mililani, HI/Mililani HS) and Anika Groener (So., Bend, OR/Summit HS), 8-1. In the #2 doubles match, Grace Carter and Jules Thompson of Whitman downed Alexa de Crinis (Fy., Makawao, HI/Seabury Hall School) and Ruby Thompson (Sr., Bay City, OR/Tillamook HS) of WU, 8-3. Whitman took #3 doubles as Teleya Blunt and Sascha Wells moved past Ruby Blake (Jr., La Crosse, WI/Central HS) and McKenna Turner (Jr., Junction City, OR/Junction City HS), 8-1.

The Blues also swept the singles match-ups. Winners in singles for Whitman were Tarpey-Schwed at #1, Jin Yu at #2, Jha at #3, and Blunt at #4, plus Julia Longpre at #5 and Wells at #6.

Willamette will be back in action on Sunday, April 9 when the Bearcats will host Pacific University at the WU Tennis Courts. The match is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. (PDT).