McMINNVILLE, ORE. -- Linfield College won four of six singles matches on its way to a 6-3 victory over Willamette University, in Northwest Conference action on Sunday, April 15. Willamette was victorious at #1 and #2 singles, but Linfield swept the other four singles matches to clinch the win. The match concluded the regular season for both teams, as the Wildcats moved to 13-11 overall, 12-4 in the NWC, and Willamette went to 9-10 on the season, 8-8 in the NWC.
Linfield and Willamette will compete at the NWC Tournament next weekend (April 20-21) in Yakima, Wash. Willamette, seded #5, will take on the University of Puget Sound, seeded #4, in the first round on Friday, April 20. Linfield, seeded #3, will open the tournament on Frdiay against Whitworth College, seeded #6. Both matches are scheduled for 8 a.m. (PDT).
Whitman College, seeded #1, and Pacific Lutheran University, seeded #2, will receive first round byes. Six of the nine conference teams have advanced to the tournament.
In Sunday evening's match, Donovan LeDoux (Fr., Keizer, OR/McNary HS) of Willamette won the #1 singles match over Ian McGrath, 6-4, 6-4. Eric MacMillan (Jr., Twin Falls, ID/Twin Falls HS) provided WU with another victory at #2 singles, when he won a super tie-breaker, played instead of a third set, in his match against Cole Shelton. MacMillan prevailed, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, (10-6). The #6 singles match was even closer, as Linfield's Jed Rembold defeated Willamette's Micah Mack (Fr., Wenatchee, WA/Wenatchee HS), 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-4), (11-9).
Linfield won matches at #1 and #3 doubles. The Wildcats' #1 doubles team of Kyle Anderson and Wesley Gabrielsen defeated MacMillan and Shaun Mihalick (Sr., Mukilteo, WA/Eastlake HS), 8-3. Willamette won #2 doubles, as LeDoux and Mack downed McGrath and Jon Roberts, 8-5. Linfeld's win at #3 doubles was achieved by Shelton and Nick Ruess with an 8-4 victory over Fitz Paccione (Jr., Encinitas, CA/Cathedral Catholic HS) and Geoff Klein (Jr., Sagle, ID/Sandpoint HS).
The Bearcats went 5-2 in their last seven matches in the NWC's round-robin schedule. Overall, Willamette was 6-3 in its last nine regular season matches.
Saturday, April 15, 2007
At McMinnville, Ore.
Singles
#1 - Donovan LeDoux (WU) defeated Ian McGrath (LC), 6-4, 6-4
#2 - Eric MacMillan (WU) defeated Cole Shelton (LC), 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, (10-6)*
#3 - Jon Roberts (LC) defeated Fitz Paccione (WU), 6-0, 6-3
#4 - Kyle Anderson (LC) defeated Shaun Mihalick (WU), 6-2, 6-0
#5 - Nick Ruess (LC) defeated Ethan Heinrich (WU), 6-3, 7-5
#6 - Jed Rembold (LC) defeated Micah Mack (WU), 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-4), (11-9)*
Doubles
#1 - Anderson and Wesley Gabrielsen (LC) defeated MacMillan and Mihalick (WU), 8-3
#2 - LeDoux and Mack (WU) defeated McGrath and Roberts (LC), 8-5
#3 - Ruess and Shelton (LC) defeated Paccione and Geoff Klein (WU), 8-4
* Tie-breaker instead of third set
Records: Willamette is 9-10 overall, 8-8 in the NWC; Linfield is 13-11 overall, 12-4 in the NWC
Eric MacMillan won a close match at #2 singles over Linfield's Cole Shelton, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, (10-6).
