Bearcats Down Wildcats in Men's Tennis, 7-2

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

SALEM, ORE. -- Willamette University gathered victories in the top five singles positions and earned two wins in doubles, as the Bearcats defeated nearby rival Linfield College, 7-2, in a Northwest Conference men's tennis match on Friday, April 12 at the WU Tennis Courts.

The Bearcats, ranked #19 in West Region of NCAA Division III, advanced their record to 7-9 on the season, 7-4 in the Northwest Conference. Linfield fell to 0-12 overall, 0-12 in the NWC.

All three doubles matches were competitive, but Willamette gained a 2-1 lead.

At #1 doubles, Joshua Wong (Sr., Hilo, HI/Hilo HS) and Sam Wexman (Fr., Tiburon, CA/Tamiscal HS) of WU defeated Zachery Lyons and Lukas Kleinman, 8-6. Willamette also claimed a win at #3 doubles, as Gunnar Lee (Fr., Hilo, HI/St. Joseph HS) and Colin Yamaguchi (Fr., Damascus, OR/Clackamas HS) outlasted Joel Trousdale and Alex Mangan, 8-5.

Linfield salvaged one win from doubles play when Micah Roos and Tim Hawkins outscored Will Cooper (Jr., Gresham, OR/Centennial HS) and Devin Abney (So., Shoreline, WA/Shorecrest HS/Univ. of Redlands) of Willamette, 8-5, in the #2 match.

Each victory by the Bearcats in singles was won in straight sets. Wong, who is ranked #12 in the West Region in singles, led the way by wining the #1 match against Lyons, 6-0, 6-1. Wong is 13-1 this season, including 10-0 in the NWC. Cooper also won 6-0, 6-1 at #3 singles against Kadin Hashimoto, while Wexman prevailed at #2 singles over Roos, 6-2, 6-2.

Also earning singles wins for the Bearcats were Abney in the #4 match and Jack Schreiber (So., Solana Beach, CA/The Grauer School) at the #5 position. Linfield's only win in singles was registered by Kleinman, who rallied past Lee in a super tie-breaker played instead of a third set, 3-6, 6-3, 1-9 (10-7).

Willamette will close out the regular season on Sunday, April 14 at George Fox University. Match time in Newberg, Ore., is set for 3 p.m. (PDT). If weather forces the match indoors, the teams will play at the Tualatin Hills Tennis Center in Beaverton, Ore.