By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

FOREST GROVE, Ore. -- Andrew Kabacy (Grad., Vancouver, WA/Skyview HS) of Willamette University was victorious at #1 singles and teamed up up with Quentin Nigbur (Sr., Newberg, OR/Newberg HS) at #1 doubles for another win, but Pacific University won the team match, 6-3, in non-conference men's tennis competition on Sunday, Feb. 25. Pacific upped its record to 1-4, while Willamette fell to 0-5 on the season.

Kabacy and Nigbur opened the action for Willamette by edging out Jonathan Nguyen and Dawson Hose of Pacific, 8-7, with an 8-6 score in the tie-breaker. At #2 doubles, Pacific's team of Aidan Rooney and Alexander Kinoshita defeated Velibor Mladenovic (So., Belgrade, Serbia/First Belgrade Grammar School) of WU, 8-4. In the #3 doubles match, Lucas Fuhrmann and Ryley Chang of Pacific downed AJ Avansino (So., Reno, NV/Reno HS)  and Andre Lief (So., Anchorage, AK/West Anchorage HS), 8-2.

At #1 singles, Kabacy roared past Joshua Matabuena, winning in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2. Nigbur also won for Willamette in singles, as he took the #3 match against Nguyen, 6-3, 6-3.

Although the Boxers won the remaining four singles matches, two of the wins were in three sets. At #4 singles Hose outlasted Avansino of Willamette in a third set tie-breaker, 6-0, 5-7, 7-6 (7-5). At #6 singles, Furhmann defeated Lief, 6-0, 3-6, 6-0.

The match at #2 singles was stopped after one game, when Mladenovic had to retire due to an injury. Rooney was leading 1-0 at the time. In #5 singles, Kinoshita won against Zack Olander (Fy., Bend, OR/Summit HS) of Willamette, 6-1, 6-0.

Willamette will open Northwest Conference action on Saturday, March 2, with a match at Linfield University. Match time is scheduled for 11 a.m. PST.

On Sunday, March 3, the Bearcats will host Lewis & Clark College for an NWC match. The competition with L&C will begin at 11 a.m. and will be held at the WU Tennis Courts on the Willamette campus if weather permits. If the match has to move indoors, it will be held at the Salem Tennis and Swim Club.