Willamette Battles Whitman, but Missionaries Win Five Close Matches in 9-0 Sweep
(MEN'S TENNIS) SALEM, ORE. -- Whitman College, ranked 16th in NCAA Division III, recorded a 9-0 victory over Willamette University on Sunday, Feb. 25 at the Courthouse Tennis Club. Although the Missionaries won every position, two of the doubles wins and three of the singles wins were earned in highly-competitive matches. Whitman improved to 10-2 overall, 9-0 in the Northwest Conference, while Willamette fell to 2-5 overall, 2-4 in the NWC. Two of Willamette's five losses have been to the Missionaries.
(MEN'S TENNIS) SALEM, ORE. -- Whitman College, ranked 16th in NCAA Division III, recorded a 9-0 victory over Willamette University on Sunday, Feb. 25 at the Courthouse Tennis Club. Although the Missionaries won every position, two of the doubles wins and three of the singles wins were earned in highly-competitive matches. Whitman improved to 10-2 overall, 9-0 in the Northwest Conference, while Willamette fell to 2-5 overall, 2-4 in the NWC. Two of Willamette's five losses have been to the Missionaries.
Willamette played well in all three doubles matches, but provided the strongest opposition at the #1 and #2 positions. In #1 doubles, Matt Solomon and Nadeem Kassam of Whitman edged out Donovan LeDoux (Fr., Keizer, OR/McNary HS) and Eric MacMillan (Jr., Twin Falls, ID/Twin Falls HS) of Willamette, 9-7. Whitman's #2 team of Jake Cappel and Jasper Follows slipped past Shaun Mihalick (Sr., Mukilteo, WA/Eastlake HS) and Micah Mack (Fr., Wenatchee, WA/Wenatchee HS), 8-6. At #3 doubles, Thomas Roston and Robert Rye of WC defeated Ethan Heinrich (Fr., San Carlos, CA/Davis HS) and Geoff Klein (Jr., Sagle, ID/Sandpoint HS), 8-4.
Two of the singles matches were tied after two sets. In the #2 singles match, David Deming won the first set, 6-4, but MacMillan took the second set 3-6. Deming won the ensuing 10-point tie-breaker, played instead of a third set, 10-8. At #6 singles, Mack won the first set for Willamette, 6-3, but Roston claimed the second set, 6-2. Roston closed out the match by winning the third set, 6-1.
The #1 singles match between Solomon and LeDoux was close throughout. LeDoux held a 5-4 lead in the first set, before Solomon won three consecutive games for a 7-5 victory. Solomon completed the match by winning the second set, 6-3. Follows won a good match at #4 singles for Whitman, as he defeated Fitz Paccione (Jr., Encinitas, CA/Cathedral Catholic), 6-3, 6-4.
Willamette plays again on Saturday, March 3, when the Bearcats host Lewis & Clark College at the Courthouse Tennis Club. Match time is scheduled for 11 a.m. (PST).
Sunday, Feb. 25, 2007
At Courthouse Tennis Club
Salem, Ore.
Whitman College 9, Willamette University 0
Singles
#1 - Matt Solomon (WTMN) defeated Donovan LeDoux (WU), 7-5, 6-3
#2 - David Deming (WTMN) defeated Eric MacMillan (WU), 6-4, 3-6, 10-8*
#3 - Jake Cappel (WTMN) defeated Ethan Heinrich (WU), 6-2, 6-1
#4 - Jasper Follows (WTMN) defeated Fitz Paccione (WU), 6-3, 6-4
#5 - Nadeem Kassam (WTMN) defeated Shaun Mihalick (WU), 6-1, 6-0
#6 - Thomas Roston (WTMN) defeated Micah Mack (WU), 3-6, 6-2, 6-1
Doubles
#1 - Solomon and Kassam (WTMN) defeated LeDoux and MacMillan (WU), 9-7
#2 - Cappel and Follows (WTMN) defeated Mihalick and Mack (WU), 8-6
#3 - Raston and Robert Rye (WTMN) defeated Paccione and Klein (WU), 8-4
* Tie-breaker instead of third set
Records: Willamette University, 2-5 overall, 2-4 NWC; Whitman College, 10-2 overall, 9-0 NWC