Burcham Wins #4 Singles to Send Bearcats Past C.C. of Spokane, 5-4, in Exhibition

Owen Burcham (Fr., Portland, OR/Wilson HS)

February 16, 2018

Team Stats

Game Statistics	CC of Spokane	Willamette
Score	4	5

Doubles

Schechter, Aaron / Fisher, Colin def. Singco, Sean / Coleman, Marshall 9-7
Perle-Jones, Gene / Burcham, Owen def. Smithgall, Kyle / Robison, Bryce 8-6
Lakewolf, Niamh / Hewett, Gavin def. Hiserman, Luke / Frank, Ethan 8-5

Singles

Schechter, Aaron def. Singco, Sean 6-4 , 6-3
Smithgall, Kyle def. Fisher, Colin 6-2 , 6-4
Perle-Jones, Gene def. Flannery, Christian 6-2 , 6-2
Burcham, Owen def. Coleman, Marshall 6-3 , 6-4
Lakewolf, Niamh def. Hiserman, Luke 6-0 , 6-2
Hewett, Gavin def. Frank, Ethan 7-5 , 6-1

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- Freshman Owen Burcham (Fr., Portland, OR/Wilson HS) of Willamette University won #4 singles over Marshall Coleman of Community Colleges of Spokane to provide the Bearcats with the winning team point in a 5-4 victory over the Sasquatch in an exhibition men's tennis match on Friday, Feb. 16 at the Courthouse Tennis Center. Burcham's 6-3, 6-4 triumph over Marshall Coleman was the final match of the evening and broke a 4-4 tie in the team score.

The match will not go on Willamette's win-loss record for the season because the NCAA does not count results against two-year colleges.

Willamette built a 2-1 lead in doubles. Aaron Schechter (Jr., Seattle, WA/James A. Garfield HS) and Colin Fisher (So., Caldwell, ID/Thomas Jefferson Charter School) combined to win the #1 doubles match for Willamette by outlasting Coleman and Sean Singco, 9-7. The Bearcats also took #2 doubles, as Burcham and Gene Perle-Jones (So., Eugene, OR/North Eugene HS) defeated Kyle Smithgall and Bryce Robison from CC of Spokane, 8-6.

The Sasquatch grabbed a win at #3 doubles with Niamh Lakewolf and Gavin Hewett downing Willamette's team of Luke Hiserman (Fr., Monterey, CAPacific Grove HS) and Ethan Frank (Fr., Lahaina, HIMaui Preparatory Academy), 8-5.

CC of Spokane evened the overall match at 2-2 when Hewitt prevailed over Frank at #6 singles, 7-5, 6-1. WU regained a slim lead after Schechter won #1 singles against Singco, 6-4, 6-3. Smithgall from CC of Spokane brought in a 6-2, 6-4 win at #2 singles versus Fisher, before Perle-Jones of Willamette downed Christian Flannery in the #3 singles matches, 6-2, 6-2, to send the Bearcats back in front, 4-3.

Lakewolf defeated Hiserman, 6-0, 6-2, at #5 singles, to tie the overall score and put the focus on Burcham and Coleman in the #4 match. Burcham's straight-set victory completed the overall win for the Bearcats.

Willamette's next match is set for Sunday, Feb. 18 at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. It will be Willamette's first Northwest Conference match of the season. Action is set to begin at 9 a.m. (PST).