2009-10 Men's Tennis News

Season
Wong Loses to #5 Seed in Round of 16 at Ojai Tournament
Wong Loses to #5 Seed in Round of 16 at Ojai Tournament

OJAI, CALIF. -- Willamette University freshman Joshua Wong (Hilo, HI/Hilo HS) was defeated by #5-seeded Marc Vartabedian from the University of California-Santa Cruz in the Round of 16 in the NCAA Division III Men's Singles bracket at the Ojai Valley Tournament on Saturday, April 24. Vartabedian downed Wong in straight sets, 6-0, 6-3.

Bearcats Fall to Quality Opponents in First Round of Doubles
Bearcats Fall to Quality Opponents in First Round of Doubles

OJAI, CALIF. -- Willamette University's two doubles teams competing at the Ojai Valley Tournament received challenging draws in the Men's NCAA Division III Doubles bracket and lost to quality opponents in the first round on Friday, April 23. The Bearcats were matched against one team from the University of California-Santa Cruz and one team from Claremont-Mudd Scripps. UC-Santa Cruz is the defending NCAA Division III team champion and CMS is ranked #1 in the West Region this spring.

Wong Advances to Round of 16 with Victory over Tolman
Wong Advances to Round of 16 with Victory over Tolman

OJAI, CALIF. -- Joshua Wong (Fr., Hilo, HI/Hilo HS) of Willamette University advanced into the Round of 16 in the Men's NCAA Division III Singles bracket at the Ojai Valley Tournament by defeating a seeded opponent in the second round on Friday, April 23. Wong downed #9-seeded Jeffrey Tolman from Northwest Conference rival Whitman College, 6-4, 6-1.

Wong Wins First Round Match at Ojai Tournament
Wong Wins First Round Match at Ojai Tournament

OJAI, CALIF. -- Willamette University freshman men's tennis player Joshua Wong (Hilo, HI/Hilo HS) defeated Victor Chien of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in the first round of the NCAA Division III bracket at the Ojai Valley Tournament on Friday, April 23. Wong downed Chien in straight sets, 6-3, 6-1.

Bearcats Travel to California for Ojai Tournament
Bearcats Travel to California for Ojai Tournament

SALEM, ORE. -- Four members of the Willamette University men's tennis team are traveling to Ojai, Calif., to compete in the prestigious Ojai Valley Tournament this weekend. Men's tournament action begins on Friday, April 23 and continues through Sunday, April 25.

Baumgartner and Wong Earn First Team All-NWC Honors
Baumgartner and Wong Earn First Team All-NWC Honors

YAKIMA, WASH. -- Willamette University athletes Michael Baumgartner (Fr., Albany, OR/West Albany HS) and Joshua Wong (Fr., Hilo, HI/Hilo HS) were among seven players chosen for First Team All-Northwest Conference honors in men's tennis, as determined by the league's head coaches.

Whitman Defeats Bearcats, 5-1, for NCAA Automatic Bid
Whitman Defeats Bearcats, 5-1, for NCAA Automatic Bid

YAKIMA, WASH. -- Whitman College, ranked #20 in NCAA Division III, defeated Willamette University, 5-1, in the Northwest Conference championship game on Saturday, April 17 at the Yakima Tennis Club. With the win, Whitman claimed the NWC's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.

Willamette Defeats Linfield, 5-3, Advances to Championship Match
Willamette Defeats Linfield, 5-3, Advances to Championship Match

YAKIMA, WASH. -- Willamette University defeated rival Linfield College, 5-3, in the semifinals of the Northwest Conference Men's Tennis Tournament on Friday, April 16 to advance to the championship match against Whitman College. In the other semifinal, Whitman defeated Pacific Lutheran University, 5-1.

Willamette Sweeps Doubles, Defeats Puget Sound 5-0 at NWC Tournament
Willamette Sweeps Doubles, Defeats Puget Sound 5-0 at NWC Tournament

YAKIMA, WASH. -- Willamette University swept doubles, including a close victory from Joshua Wong (Fr., Hilo, HI/Hilo HS) and Cody Ferguson (So., North Bend, OR/North Bend HS/Western Oregon Univ.) at the #1 position, starting the Bearcats on their way to a 5-0 win over the University of Puget Sound in the first round of the Northwest Conference Tournament. WU improved to 12-7 overall, while UPS ended its season at 5-12.

Willamette Hits #10 in West Region Rankings
Willamette Hits #10 in West Region Rankings

SALEM, ORE. -- The Willamette University men's tennis team is ranked #10 in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rankings for the West Region of NCAA Division III. The Bearcats moved up one spot from #11 in the previous ranking.

Willamette Clinches #3 Seed for NWC Tournament with 6-3 Win over Pacific
Willamette Clinches #3 Seed for NWC Tournament with 6-3 Win over Pacific

FOREST GROVE, ORE. -- The Willamette University men's tennis team won two doubles matches and the top four singles matches to defeat Pacific University, 6-3, on Tuesday, April 13, as the Bearcats claimed the #3 seed for the Northwest Conference Tournament. Joshua Wong (Fr., Hilo, HI/Hilo HS) of WU led the charge with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Michael Okada at #1 singles.

Bearcats Move Past Pirates for 5-4 Victory
Bearcats Move Past Pirates for 5-4 Victory

SALEM, ORE. -- The Willamette University men's tennis team picked up a key Northwest Conference victory by rallying past the Pirates of Whitworth University, 5-4, on Saturday, April 10 at the WU Tennis Courts. Willamette improved to 10-7 overall, 10-5 in the NWC. Whitworth fell to 9-13 on the season, 9-5 in the NWC.

Men's Tennis Match versus Whitworth will Start at 11 a.m.
Men's Tennis Match versus Whitworth will Start at 11 a.m.

SALEM, ORE. -- The Willamette University men's tennis match against Whitworth University on Saturday, April 10 will start one hour later than originally scheduled. The Bearcats and Boxers will begin the match at 11 a.m. (PDT) at the WU Tennis Courts.

Bearcats Fall to Wildcats, 5-4, in Battle of Regionally Ranked Teams
Bearcats Fall to Wildcats, 5-4, in Battle of Regionally Ranked Teams

SALEM, ORE. -- Linfield College, ranked #9 in the West Region of NCAA Division III, built a 3-0 lead, but Willamette University, ranked #11 in the Region, eventually pulled within 4-3, before the Wildcats held on for a 5-4 win at the Courthouse Tennis Club on Tuesday, April 6. Linfield moved to 12-5 overall, 12-2 in the Northwest Conference. WU dropped to 9-7, 9-5 in the NWC.

Men's Tennis Match between Willamette and Linfield Moves Indoors
Men's Tennis Match between Willamette and Linfield Moves Indoors

SALEM, ORE. -- The Northwest Conference men's tennis match between Willamette University and Linfield College scheduled for Tuesday, April 6 will now be played indoors at the Courthouse Tennis Club (1379 Madison NE) at 1 p.m. (PDT) due to the weather. The match was originally scheduled to be played later in the afternoon at the Willamette University Tennis Courts.

Lutes Rally in Singles to Defeat Bearcats, 5-4
Lutes Rally in Singles to Defeat Bearcats, 5-4

PARKLAND, WASH. -- Willamette University won all three doubles matches, but Pacific Lutheran University won five of six singles matches, including a pair of three-set victories, to defeat the Bearcats, 5-4. The score was tied at 4-4 until Joel Trudel of PLU defeated Joshua Wong (Fr., Hilo, HI/Hilo HS) of Willamette at #1 singles, 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 6-2.