YAKIMA, WASH. -- Willamette University provided strong opposition for #3-seeded Whitman College in the first round of the Northwest Conference Tennis Championships on Friday, April 20, but the Missionaries took a 5-4 victory to advance to the semifinals. The Bearcats, seeded #6, won the #1 doubles match and claimed wins at #2, #3 and #4 singles, but lost a close match at #5 singles, as Maura Flaherty slipped past Abby Funabiki (So., Pullman, WA/Pullman HS), 6-4, 7-6 (7-4).
Willamette junior Alaine Anderson (Santa Ana, CA/Foothills HS) extended her winning streak in singles to 12 matches with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Margo Lentz as the #3 position. Anderson teamed with Tiffany Kam (Jr., Pearl City, HI/Punahou HS) for an 8-6 victory over Whitman's Katie Collier and Lentz at #1 doubles. Whitman earned wins at #2 and #3 doubles.
The NWC Championships will conclude on Saturday, Aprill 21. Willamette will take on Whitworth College, the #5 seed, in the fifth place game at 8 a.m. (PDT). In the regular season, the teams split, with WU winning 8-1 on Feb. 17 and Whitworth claiming a 5-4 win on March 17.
NWC Championships
First Round
Friday, April 20, 2007
Whitman College 5, Willamette University 4
Singles
#1 - Hadley DeBree (WTMN) defeated Tiffany Kam (WU), 6-2, 6-3
#2 - Susan Butler (WU) defeated Katie Collier (WTMN), 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
#3 - Alaine Anderson (WU) defeated Margo Lentz (WTMN), 6-2, 6-0
#4 - Alyssa Morrison (WU) defeated Katie Oost (WTMN), 6-2, 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-5)
#5 - Maura Flaherty (WTMN) defeated Abby Funabiki (WU), 6-4, 7-6 (7-4)
#6 - Divneet Kaur (WTMN) defeated Emily Elliott (WU), 6-4, 6-1
Doubles
#1 - Kam and Anderson (WU) defeated Collier and Lentz (WTMN), 8-6
#2 - DeBree and Kaur (WTMN) defeated Funabiki and Morrison (WU), 8-3
#3 - Oost and Flaherty (WTMN) defeated Butler and Elliott (WU), 8-2
Records: Willamette is 7-14; Whitman is 17-6.
