NWC Tennis Championships Tournament Preview
Whitman, Linfield Teams To Beat In NWC Tennis Championships
YAKIMA, Wash. - The Whitman men's team and the Linfield women's teams are the teams to beat as the No. 1 seeds at the 2007 Northwest Conference Tennis Championships. The two day tournament will be played Firday and Saturday at the Yakima Tennis Club.
Both the Missionaries' men and the the Wildcats' women enter the tournament with undefeated records during the dual match season. Whitman is aiming for their first NWC championship since 2004, while No. 2 seed Pacific Lutheran hope to knock off the top seed to win their third straight men's conference title. Linfield, meanwhile, will try for their sixth straight conference women's championship.
MEN'S
TOURNAMENT
For the third straight year, the race for the Northwest Conference men’s
tennis championship will likely come down to two teams.
No. 1 ranked Whitman (22-5, 16-0 NWC) swept the conference season and has been ranked as high as 15th nationally. The Missionaries feature two of the top players in the nation in Phalkun Mam, who has been ranked as high as fourth in singles, and 2006 NWC Player of the Year Steven Ly. Whitman last won the conference title in 2004.
Pacific Lutheran (14-9, 14-2 NWC) is the defending two-time NWC champion, but lost both meetings to Whitman this season by 7-2 and 5-4 decisions. Senior David Miller enters the tournament 16-3 in singles, while Justin Peterson and Jeff Loranger each have 11 victories.
Third seeded Linfield (14-11, 12-4 NWC) would like to surprise the Missionaries or Lutes to win their first title since 2003. The Wildcats’ overall record is misleading, with five losses coming against top-ranked Division III competition, including three matches at the prestigious Stag-Hen Invitational in California. Junior Wesley Gabrielson leads the Wildcats with an 11-9 record in singles.
Puget Sound (9-8, 9-7 NWC) rebounded from a mid-season slump to win six of their last seven matches. The only loss in the string came at cross-town rival PLU. The Loggers are led by a corps of four experienced seniors, including Kei Sato and Andrew Neal.
Willamette (9-10, 8-8 NWC) moved up from a No. 6 seed last year to a No. 5 seed in 2007. The Bearcats secured their berth with four straight victories early in April. The string ended with a close 5-4 loss to Puget Sound, the Beacrats’ first round opponent. Willamette features a young team with five underclassmen, including No. 1 player Donovan LeDoux.
Whitworth (6-15, 6-10 NWC) used a pair of 9-0 victories over Pacific to play their way into the tournament field. Senior Michael Carlson and freshman Kellen Oetgen each have seven victories to lead the Pirates.
WOMEN'S
TOURNAMENT
The dynasty that is the Linfield Wildcats will take aim for what they hope
will be their six straight Northwest Conference title.
The top-seeded Wildcats (16-5, 16-0 NWC) are unbeaten in conference play over the last five and a half years, having not lost to a conference foe since Apr. 6, 2002. All five Linfield’s losses came against non-conference teams, including Division I Portland and NAIA power Lewis-Clark State. Seniors Becca Johnson and Megan Rodgers were selected last year as ITA All-Americans. Johnson enters the tournament with a 14-5 record, while Rodgers is 12-5. Six of the Wildcats’ eight players have 10 or more wins.
Puget Sound (13-4, 12-4 NWC) and Whitman (16-6, 12-4 NWC) tied for second during the regular season, but the Loggers claimed the No. 2 seed thanks to a pair of tight 5-4 victories over the Missionaries. UPS put together a string of seven victories through the middle of the season before dropping three of their last six. The Loggers are led by seniors Courtney Dunham and Alyssa Sidoff.
The Missionaries moved up one spot from last year to claim the No. 3 seed. Whitman is on a roll, having won eight of their last nine matches. The one loss in the string was a 5-4 home loss to Puget Sound. Senior Maura Flaherty enters the tournament with a 16-0 singles record against NWC opponents, while senior Katie Collier was the 2006 NWC Sportswoman of the Year. This will be the last tournament for head coach Heidi Tate, who is resigning to enter the medical field.
Pacific Lutheran (13-5, 11-5 NWC) is the No. 4 seed, but suffered just one more loss than Puget Sound and Whitman. The Lutes have beat the Loggers once this season, taking a 5-4 victory last week. Junior Erika Feltus leads PLU with a 15-2 record at No. 1 and No. 2 singles, while the doubles tandem of Feltus and Nicole Petrzelka are 13-3.
Whitworth (9-11, 8-8 NWC) took the No. 5 seed despite dropping a pair of matches at the end of the regular season to Pacific Lutheran and Whitman. The Pirates were also 8-8 last year. Taryn Smith leads Whitworth with a 12-8 record in the singles. The doubles team of Smith and Justine Hays is 11-5.
Willamette (7-13, 6-10 NWC) secured the No. 6 seed thanks to wins over Lewis & Clark and George Fox in the final week. Alaine Anderson has won 11 straight singles matches to lead the Bearcats.