Whitworth Edges Out Bearcats in NWC Battle, 6-3

By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director, (503) 370-6110

SALEM, ORE. -- Whitworth University and Willamette University played a very close and competitive men's tennis match on Friday, April 6 at the WU Tennis Courts. Whitworth won two of the three doubles matches for an early lead, before the Pirates and the Bearcats battled it out in singles.

Three singles matches were won in a third set and #1 singles was decided when Willamette's Joshua Wong (Jr., Hilo, HI/Hilo HS) had to retire from the match due to an injury after splitting the first two sets. Whitworth registered the win at #1 singles when Wong retired, and claimed three-set wins at #4 and #5 singles.

Including a straight-set win at #6 singles, the Pirates were victorious in the team match, 6-3. Whitworth improved to 9-6 overall, 6-3 in the Northwest Conference. Willamette dropped to 3-11 on the season, 3-7 in the NWC.

Cody Ferguson (Sr., North Bend, OR/North Bend HS/Western Oregon Univ.) provided the Bearcats with a come-from-behind win at #2 singles. He dropped the first set against Cameron Williams, 6-4, but recovered to take the second set 7-5.

Ferguson finished strong in the third set for a 6-3 win. It was his third consecutive win in singles play.

Whitworth's triumphs at #4 and #5 singles were recorded by Ben Hamming and John Talbot, respectively. Each lost the first set before rallying for the win. Hamming downed Will Cooper (So., Gresham, OR/Centennial HS) in the #4 match, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4. Talbot outlasted Will Agnew-Svoboda (So., Corvallis, OR/Corvallis HS) at #5 singles, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Chris Englemann won the #6 singles match for the Pirates, as he defeated Jack Schreiber (Fr., Solana Beach, CA/The Grauer School), 6-1, 6-1. Garrett Vincent (So., Seattle, WA/Seattle Prep/Bellevue CC) of Willamette answered with a straight-set win at #3 singles, 6-2, 6-1, over Dustin McConnell.

The Bearcats registered a win in the top doubles match, as Wong and Ferguson held off Redfern and Micah Spaun, 8-5. Whitworth's team of Williams and McConnell took #2 doubles against Vincent and Cooper, 8-1.

Whitworth won #3 doubles, with Hamming and Stefan Dernbach defeating Cameron Thompson (Jr., Torrance, CA/North Torrance HS) and Andrew Laufer (Fr., Paradise Valley, AZ/Brentwood College School), 8-3.

Willamette will host Whitman College, ranked #9 in the nation in NCAA Division III, on Sunday, April 8 at 3 p.m. (PDT). Whitman also is the top-ranked team in the West Region. The match was originally scheduled for the WU Tennis Courts, but will be moved to the Courthouse Tennis Center (1379 Madison St. NE) if weather forces the action indoors.