Willamette's de Crinis Battles at #1 Singles as Bearcats Fall to Blues
By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- Alexa de Crinis (So., Makawao, HI/Seabury Hall School) of Willamette University played a very strong match at #1 singles but fell to Teleya Blunt of Whitman College on Sunday, March 31 in Northwest Conference women's tennis action at the WU Tennis Courts. Blunt won the singles match by holding off de Crinis, 7-5, 6-3. Whitman won the overall match 9-0, as the Blues improved to 11-7 overall, 5-0 in the NWC. Willamette fell to 3-10 overall, 1-4 in the NWC.
At #1 doubles, Whitman's team of Jin Yu and Grace Carter defeated Richelle Suzuki (Jr., Mililani, HI/Mililani HS) and Anika Groener (Sr., Bend, OR/Summit HS) of WU, 8-1. In the #2 doubles match, Sascha Wells and Ilina Jha of Whitman downed de Crinis and Ruby Thompson (Grad., Bay City, OR/Tillamook HS) of the Bearcats, 8-1.
Yu of the Blues won against Suzuki at #2 singles, 6-1, 6-3, after a battle in the second set. Also winning in singles for Whitman were Erica Mock at #3, Julia Longpre at #4, Wells at #5, and Carter at #6.
The Bearcats will take on Lewis & Clark College in Salem, Oregon, on Saturday, March 6. If possible, the match will be played at the WU Tennis Courts. If weather forces the match to move indoors it will be played at the Salem Tennis and Swim Club.