Whitman College, ranked #18 in NCAA Division III, improved to 11-0 in the Northwest Conference with a 9-0 win over Willamette University on Saturday, March 29 at the Courthouse Tennis Club. The Missionaries upped their overall record to 13-8. Willamette fell to 5-7 overall, 5-6 in the NWC.
The Bearcats will play their second match of the day at 4 p.m. (PDT) at the Courthouse Tennis Club against Whitworth University. Earlier this season, Whitworth edged Willamette, 5-4, in Spokane, Wash., on Feb. 23.
Whitman surged out to a 3-0 lead by winning all three doubles matches. Willamette won a total of 15 games in doubles, but couldn't outscore the Missionaries. The closest doubles match was at the #2 position, where Whitman's team of Jasper Follows and Justin Hayashi edged Willamette's duo of Eric MacMillan (Sr., Twin Falls, ID/Twin Falls HS) and Matt Houser (Fr., Vancouver, WA/Evergreen HS), 8-6.
MacMillan also played a tight match at #1 singles against Chris Bailey. MacMillan won the first set, 6-3, but Baily rallied to take the second set, 6-2. Bailey also won a super tie-breaker played instead of a third set, 11-9, to win the match.
Two other singles matches each had one hotly contested set. At #2 singles, Jake Cappel of Whitman edged Micah Mack (So., Wenatchee, WA/Wenatchee HS), 7-5 in the first set, then won the second set 6-2. At #6 singles, David Deming won the first set, 6-2, over Luke Lagattuta (So., Albuquerque, NM/Highland HS) of Willamette. Deming held off Lagattuta, 7-5, in the second set.
After completing today's doubleheader by taking on Whitworth, the Bearcats will not play at home again until Sunday, April 13, when they will host Pacific University at the Willamette University Tennis Courts at 10 a.m. (PDT). Prior to the Pacific match, WU will play four road contests, beginning with a match at George Fox University on Friday, April 4 at 1 p.m. (PDT).
Saturday, March 29
At Courthouse Tennis Club, Salem, Ore.
Whitman College 9, Willamette University 0
Singles
#1 - Chris Bailey (WHTM) defeated Eric MacMillan (WU), 3-6, 6-2, 11-9*
#2 - Jake Cappel (WHTM) defeated Micah Mack (WU), 7-5, 6-2
#3 - Dan Wilson (WHTM) defeated Andrew Murakami (WU), 6-2, 6-0
#4 - Nadeem Kassam (WHTM) defeated Matt Houser (WU), 6-0, 6-1
#5 - Jasper Follows (WHTM) defeated Fitz Paccione (WU), 6-2, 6-2
#6 - David Deming (WHTM) defeated Luke Lagattuta (WU), 6-2, 7-5
Doubles
#1 - Dan Solomon and Matt Solomon (WHTM) defeated Murakami and Mack (WU), 8-4
#2 - Follows and Justin Hayashi (WHTM) defeated MacMillan and Houser (WU), 8-6
#3 - Christoph Fuchs and Quin Miller (WHTM) defeated Paccione and Lagattuta (WU), 8-5
* Tie-breaker played instead of a third set
Records: Whitman is 13-8 overall, 11-0 in the NWC; Willamette is 5-7 overall, 5-6 in the NWC.
Eric MacMillan lost close matches at #1 singles and #2 doubles against 18th-ranked Whitman College.
