Bearcats Compete on First Day of USTA/ITA Northwest Regional

By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director

WALLA WALLA, Wash. -- Willamette University opened the 2015-16 men's tennis season on Saturday, Sept. 26 at the USTA/ITA Northwest Regional Championships, hosted by Whitman College. The three-day tournament features singles and doubles brackets.

The overall winners in singles and doubles will advance to the USTA/ITA National Small College Championships, set for Oct. 15-18 in Sumter, South Carolina.

Aaron Schechter (Fr., Seattle, WA/James A. Garfield HS) of Willamette won his first round singles match. He defeated Trent Prussing of Linfield College in a super tie-breaker played instead of a third set, 6-3, 3-6, 10-6. In the second round, Scheceter lost to the 14th seed, Gordon Borrows from Lewis & Clark College.

Willamette's Samuel Wexman (Sr., Tiburon, CA/Tamiscal HS) lost a close match to Wes Upton of Pacific University in the first round. Upton won the match in a super tie-breaker, 2-6, 6-3, 10-7.

Also competing in singles for the Bearcats were Blake Brash (Sr., Boise, ID/Boise HS), Derek Lund (So., Helena, MT/Capital HS), Jacob Blaisdell (So., Honolulu, HI/Punahou School) and Colin Yamaguchi (Sr./Jr., Clackamas, OR/Clackamas HS).

Brash rebounded from a loss in the first round, to down Jacob Mangan of Linfield in the first round of the consolation singles bracket, 8-4. Brash is scheduled to take on Rubin Mulhern of Pacific, seeded 11th, at 8 a.m. (PDT) on Sunday, Sept. 27 in the second round of consolation singles.

In the first round of the main doubles draw, Blaisdell and Schechter lost to 3rd-seeded Brennan Faith and Josh Bernstein of Pacific, 8-3. Lund and Yamaguchi also fell by an 8-3 score against Nick Grafton and Vince Viloria of George Fox.

The USTA/ITA Northwest Regional Championships in men's tennis will continue through Monday, Sept. 28.