By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

WILLS POINT, Texas -- Willamette University's #2 doubles team of Alexa de Crinis (So., Makawao, HI/Seabury Hall School) and Eva Lief (Fy., Anchorage, AK/West Anchorage HS) played a strong match before falling to Jayde Childress and Bailey Smith of East Texas Baptist University, 8-4, on Tuesday, March 26 at the Wills Point High School Courts. The Tigers also won the overall match, 9-0, as the ETBU women's tennis team improved to 11-1. Willamette dropped to 3-7 on the season.

The win by Childress and Smith helped the Tigers build a 3-0 lead in doubles and gain momentum heading into the singles matches. Also winning in doubles for ETBU were Monique Ybarra and Addy Seward in the #1 match against Richelle Suzuki (Jr., Mililani, HI/Mililani HS) and Anika Groener (Sr., Bend, OR/Summit HS), and Isabelle Duarte and Kristyn Dunn versus Ruby Thompson (Grad., Bay City, OR/Tillamook HS) and Alicia Sola (Fy., Aumsville, OR/Cascade HS) in the #3 match. The wins at #1 and #3 doubles were both by 8-1 scores.

Although the Tigers won all six singles matches, Groener provided a solid effort at the #3 position, especially in the second set, as she lost to Smith, 6-2, 6-3. At #4 singles, Duarte defeated Lief, 6-2, 6-2. Ybarra downed de Crinis at #1 singles, 6-1, 6-2. Other winners in singles were Seward at #2, Childress at #5, and Dunn at #6.

Willamette will be back in action on Wednesday, March 27, when the Bearcats will take on McMurry University in Abilene, Texas. Match time is slated for 10 a.m. CDT / 8 a.m. PDT.