Willamette falls 6-3 in Women's Tennis to Puget Sound

By John Lind and Robert McKinney

SALEM, ORE -- The Willamette University women's tennis team was unable to keep pace with the University of Puget Sound, as the Loggers won singles #3 through #6 singles, #2 doubles and #3 doubles to defeat the Bearcats, 6-3.

UPS improved to 4-3 overall and to 4-3 in the NWC. Willamette fell to 1-8 on the season, and 1-7 in the NWC.

Willamette got production from their top two players, Denise Poltavski (So.,Woodland Hills, CA/El Camino Real HS) and Sabrina Gutierrez (Jr.,Newbury Park, CA/Newbury Park HS). Both players won their singles matches at #1 and #2, and together they bested the Logger #1 doubles team of Maddie Thiesse and Josephine Dow, 8-1.

Poltavski defeated Maddie Thiesse of UPS at #1 singles by taking the first set in a tie-breaker and then cruising through the second set. Poltavski won, 7-6 (7-4), 6-1. At #2 singles, Gutierrez easily downed Jenne Gerdsen, 6-0, 6-1.

The Loggers won two key matches at #3 and #4 singles, with each battle decided in a third set.

In the #3 singles match, Logan Thompson outlasted WU's Stephanie Matsuura (Fr., Hilo, HI/Waiakea HS), 3-6, 6-4, 6-1. The #4 singles was decided in a third-set tie-breaker before Marissa Friedman of UPS defeated Rachel Heringer (Fr., Salem, OR/South Salem HS), 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5).

Puget Sound gained an early 2-1 lead with its pair of wins in doubles. At #2 doubles, Thompson and Friedman edged out Heringer and Matsuura, 8-6. Malia Ford and Allison Embernate of UPS won #3 doubles over Mandy Carlson (Fr., Boise, ID/Bishop Kelly HS) and Yasmine Genena (Fr., Portland, OR/Lake Oswego HS), 8-3.

The Bearcats play again on Saturday, March 16 at Lewis & Clark College. Match time in Portland, Ore., is set for 11 a.m. (PDT).