California Lutheran Wins 9-0 against Willamette in Palm Desert

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

PALM DESERT, Calif. -- California Lutheran University defeated Willamette University, 9-0, in men's tennis action on Sunday, March 10 at the College of the Desert. The match was played at the neutral site because CLU was scheduled to take on the College of the Desert later in the day.

The Kingsmen won all three doubles matches by pulling away from the Bearcats after close starts at each position.

In the #1 match, Yahn Gawrit and Isaiah Volk of CLU defeated Andrew Kabacy (Fr., Vancouver, WA/Skyview HS) and Aaron Schechter (Sr., Seattle, WA/James A. Garfield HS) of the Bearcats, 8-3. At #2 doubles, Jake Haffner and Ransom Braaten downed Gene Perle-Jones (Jr., Eugene, OR/North Eugene HS) and Colin Fisher (Jr., Caldwell, ID/Thomas Jefferson Charter School), 8-1. In #3 doubles, Aaron Moylan and Kylel Gillam won for CLU, 8-2, over Luke Hiserman (So., Monterey, CA/Pacific Grove HS) and Charles Pezeshki (Fr., Pullman, WA/Pullman HS).

California Lutheran won five of the six singles matches in straight sets. At #2 singles, however, Haffner of CLU and Schechter of Willamette split the first two sets. Haffner won the opening set, 6-1, while Schechter took the second set in a tie-breaker, 7-6 (7-3). Haffner won a super tie-breaker played instead of a third set, 10-2.

The #1 singles match was won by Gawrit, who claimed the first set against Kabacy, 6-1, and then held off Kabacy, 6-4, in the second set. At #4 singles, Moylan grabbed a 6-0 victory in the first set and then had to hold off Fisher in the second set, 6-4. Other winners for the Kingsmen were Volk, at #3 singles, Gillam at #5 singles and Hu at #6 singles.

Willamette will play at University of Puget Sound on Saturday, March 16. Match time is set for 1 p.m. (PDT).