Willamette Will Finish Season with Linfield, Pacific, and George Fox

By Evan Giddings, Student Assistant Athletics Communications Director

SALEM, Ore. --In the final weekend of the 2015 spring season, the Willamette University men's tennis team will take on Pacific University (Ore.) on Saturday, April 18 and George Fox University on Sunday, April 19. The Saturday match is the Bearcats' senior day and will be at the WU Tennis Courts at 1 p.m. (PDT), while Sunday's match will be on the road at George Fox, also at 1 p.m.

Due to a postponed match earlier in the week on Tuesday, April 14, Willamette will now play Linfield College this Friday, April 17. The match will still be at the WU Tennis Courts, with action set to get underway at 4 p.m.

Willamette enters the match with a 3-12 overall record and 3-6 in the Northwest Conference, after being defeated by Whitman College and Whitworth University this past weekend. Linfield holds in a 1-13 record and is 1-9 in the NWC standings.

The lineup for the Bearcats over the weekend included Gunnar Lee (Jr., Hilo, HI/St. Joseph HS) at #1 singles and Jack Schreiber (Sr., Solana Beach, CA/The Grauer School) at #2 singles. The remaining singles matches featured Blake Brash (Jr., Boise, ID/Boise HS) at #3, Shrujan Kalidindi (Jr., Cupertino, CA/Monta Vista HS) at #4, Derek Lund (Fr., Helena, MT/Capital HS) at #5 and Samuel Rowe (Fr., Andover, MA/Andover HS) at #6.

Samuel Wexman (Jr., Tiburon, CA/Tamiscal HS) who has played three #1 singles matches, missed the Bearcats last two matches due to injury. He has missed a total of seven matches this season. Jacob Blaisdell (Fr., Honolulu, HI/Punahou School) who normally competes with Lee at #1 doubles, also did not play against Whitman or Whitworth

In doubles competition, Lee and Kalidindi played at the top position against Whitman. In the match with Whitworth, the combination of Lee and Schreiber played #1 doubles. The other two teams against Whitworth consisted of Kalidindi and Lund playing at #2 and Brash and Rowe finishing at #3.

So far this season Pacific is 12-5, including 8-2 in the NWC. The Boxers are in second place in conference behind Whitman.

Pacific's last match was against Whitman, a 6-3 loss for the Boxers. In that match, the Pacific singles lineup featured Giancarlo Battaglia (Sr.) at #1, Grayson Frazier (Sr.) at #2, and Clark Wininger (So.) at #3. The last three competitors included Josh Bernstein (So.) at #4, Reuben Mulhern (So.) at #5, and Sage Katayama (Fr.) at #6.

The Boxers' doubles lineup saw Battaglia and Oscar Wight (Fr.) compete at the #1 position, with Frazier and Wininger playing #2, and Bernstein and Mulhern playing #3.

Willamette's opponent on Sunday is George fox. The Bruins are coming off a 7-2 win over Linfield for a 13-6 overall record. GFU is 8-3 in conference play.

In that match, George Fox got wins from #1 singles played by Spencer Watanabe (So.), as well as wins at #2 singles from Chris Lilley (Jr.), #3 singles by Nick Ekern (Fr.), and both #4 and #6 singles from Mitchell Miyahsiro (Jr.) and Tim Roome-Trout (Fr.), respectively. Tristen Lerma () lost at #5 singles.

The Bruins also triumphed in #1 and #2 doubles. Lilley and Chace Stalcup played #1 doubles, while the duo of Watanabe and Miyahsiro won #2 doubles. Roome-Trout and Lerma fell at #3 doubles.

Earlier this season, GFU defeated Willamette, 8-1. The match was played on April 4 at the WU Tennis Courts.