Bearcats Set for ITA Small College Northwest Regional at Whitman

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

SALEM, ORE. -- The Willamette University women's tennis team will compete this weekend at the 2014 ITA Small College Northwest Regional, hosted by Whitman College in Walla Walla, Wash. Action will begin on Friday, Sept. 26 and will continue through Sunday, Sept. 28. Matches will be held outdoors at Whitman and also at the Bratton Tennis Center.

A total of six Bearcats will be competing in the singles and doubles brackets. In singles, Denise Poltavksi (Sr., Woodland Hills, CA/El Camino Real HS) tops the list of Bearcats. She is seed 7th in the tournament and will take on Mrisa Kume from Linfield in the first round. Poltavski reached the semifinals of the singles bracket at the 2012 Northwest Regional.

Mikaila Smith (Fr., Mill Valley, CA/Tamalpais HS) of Willamette will play against Adrienne Fox from Lewis & Clark College in the first round. Alicia Sohn (So., Tustin, CA/Arnold O. Beckman HS) will open play for the Bearcats against Emily Bower from Pacific Lutheran University.

Ashley Evans (Fr., Canby, OR/Canby HS) from WU will battle #2-seeded Kaitlyn Lomartire of Pacific University in the opening round. Emily Guimont (Jr., El Dorado Hills, CA/Folsom HS) will represent the Bearcats against Gretchen Jernstedt of Linfield, while Willamette'sEllen Rumley (Fr., Anchorage, AK/East Anchorage HS) will face Bella Hoyos of Whitworth University.

The Willamette doubles team of Poltavski and Smith are seeded 5th. They will open the 32-team bracket against a team that earns its spot through qualifying matches. Other doubles teams for the Bearcats are Guimont and Sohn as well as Evans and Rumley.

Guimont and Sohn will play Andrea Motley and Catrina Kwong of George Fox University in the first round. Evans and Rumley will begin the tournament against Courtney Hammagren and Jernstedt of Linfield.