Willamette Bearcats Play Pacific Boxers in Two Men's Tennis Matches

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

FOREST GROVE, Ore. -- The Willamette University and Pacific University men's tennis teams played two matches against each other on Saturday, Feb. 18 at the Holce Tennis Courts, with the Boxers winning 9-0 and 8-1. The first match counted in the Northwest Conference while the second match was non-conference. Pacific ended the day with a 2-1 overall record, including 1-0 in the NWC. Willamette fell to 0-4 overall, 0-1 in the NWC.

Jake Freeland (Fy., Beaverton, OR/Southridge HS) picked up Willamette's only win at #6 singles during the second of the two team matches.

In the first match, the Boxers built a quick 3-0 lead in doubles. At #1, Mason Tran and Quentin Gonzalez downed Andrew Kabacy (Grad., Vancouver, WA/Skyview HS) and Quentin Nigbur (Sr., Newberg, OR/Newberg HS), 8-2. At #2, Koby Murata and Aidan Rooney defeated Willamette's team of Velibor Mladenovic (Fy., Belgrade, Serbia/First Belgrade Grammar School) and Andrew Kropp (Sr., Bend, OR/Summit HS), 8-2. In the #3 doubles match, Pacific's Nicholas Koulisis and Benjamin Dubois won versus Andre Lief (So., Anchorage, AK/West Anchorage HS) and Luca Casano (Fy., Honolulu, HI/Punahou School), 8-1.

At #1 singles, Tran won the first set 6-0 over Kabacy, but the second set was much closer as Tran held on for a 6-4 win. Gonzalez prevailed at #2 singles with a close 6-3 win over Mladenovic in the first set, followed by a 6-0 win in the second set. The #3 singles match went three sets, with Koulisis defeating Nigbur, 6-1, 2-6, 6-1. Also winning singles matches for the Boxers were Murata at #4, Dubois at #5, and Rooney at #6.

During the second match of the day, Pacific swept the doubles matches, but won by closer margins at #2 doubles and #3 doubles. In the #2 doubles match, Dubois and Koulisis outscored Mladenovic and Kropp, 8-4. At #3 doubles, Gonzalez teamed up with Ryley Chang to move past Lief and Casano of Willamette, 8-3. Tran and Rooney were victorious at #1 doubles against Kabacy and Nigbur, 8-0.

The second match featured single pro-sets at each position in singles as well as doubles. Freeland of Willamette  won the closest singles match of the competition when he edged out Brandon Pham, 8-6, at the #6 position. Winners in singles for the Boxers during the second match were Gonzalez at #1, Murata at #2, Dubois at #3, Rooney at #4, and Chang at #5.

Willamette will return to action on Saturday, March 4 when the Bearcats host Linfield University at the WU Tennis Courts at 11 a.m. (PST). If the weather forces the match to move indoors, it will be held at the Salem Tennis and Swim Club.