By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director

SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University won two of three doubles matches and three of six singles matches to defeat Treasure Valley Community College, 5-4, in a men's tennis exhibition match on Friday, March 18 at the WU Tennis Courts. TVCC fell to 0-1 on the season. The match did not impact Willamette's win-loss record since the NCAA does not count results against two-year colleges.

The Bearcats gained an important edge by earning two victories in doubles. Perhaps the key win of the overall match was at #1 doubles, where Colin Yamaguchi (Sr./Jr., Clackamas, OR/Clackamas HS) and Aaron Schechter (Fr., Seattle, WA/James A. Garfield HS) outlasted Scottie Ziegner and Jake Brown of TVCC, 9-7.

Yamaguchi and Schechter built a 6-5 lead and also led 7-6. Ziegner and Brown won the next game to tie the match, and then took a 40-15 advantage in the 15th game of the pro set. Yamaguchi and Schechter fought back to deuce, and eventually won the game. The next game also was close, including two ties at deuce, but Willamette prevailed.

WU picked up its other doubles win at the #2 position, as Derek Lund (So., Helena, MT/Capital HS) and Douglas Hochmuth (Jr./Fr., Oakland, CA/Bishop O'Dowd HS) downed Kavan Martin and Derik Jensen, 8-4. Treasure Valley's team of Dominic Aubrey and Joel Van Patten took #3 doubles, 8-2, against Jesse Mackinney (So., Arcata, CA/Northcoast Prep and Performing Arts Academy) and Miles Cheng.

The Bearcats closed out the team victory with wins at #2, #4 and #5 singles -- all in straight sets. At #2, Schechter defeated Brown, 6-3, 6-2. Hochmuth triumphed at #4 over Martin, 6-3, 6-0. In the #5 match, Mackinney held off Ramrio Rubio by 6-4 scores in both sets.

Ziegner picked up a win for TVCC at #1 singles by slipping past Yamaguchi in a super tie-breaker played instead of a third set. Yamaguchi claimed the first set 6-4, before Ziegner grabbed the second set, 7-5. Ziegner was victorious in the super tie-breaker, 10-3.

Also winning for the Chukars were Aubrey at #3 singles and Jensen at #6 singles.

Willamette will not play again until Thursday, March 31, when they will play an exhibition match against Spokane Community College. The action is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. (PDT).