MCMINNVILLE, ORE. - The Linfield men's tennis team split their pair of matches this weekend, winning 5-4 against the Bellevue College Bulldogs at home in McMinnville on Saturday before falling to the Lewis and Clark Pioneers 6-3 in Portland in their first Northwest Conference match of the spring schedule.
 
SATURDAY VS BELLEVUE
DOUBLES
Playing quick sets, the first to four winning, the Wildcats were able to take two out of three flights against the Bulldogs. Although Linfield's No. 1 duo of Rogue Stone and Matous Young fell 4-2 to Bellevue's Dario Ristovski and Kyle Nget, the 'Cats No. 2 doubles squad of Nick Gabelman and Isaac Milner were able to handle Tyler Gettman and Manny Nguyen, winning 4-1.
Seamus Miller and Abraham Solomon then put Linfield in front 2-1 on the day with a narrow 5-4 victory over Tyeer Houser and Alistar Jones, claiming the win with a 7-4 tiebreaker.
SINGLES
In the top singles flight of the day Ristovski once again got the better of Stone, winning 6-3, 6-3 and tying the day at two wins apiece. But Gabelman was able to put Linfield back in front in the No. 2 flight with a 7-6, 6-2 win over Nget, winning the first set on a 6-4 tiebreaker.
Gettman then tied the match again at three wins apiece with a 6-4, 3-6, 10-3 win over Young before Milner made it 4-3 Linfield, defeating Nguyen 6-2, 6-0. Solomon was then able to clinch the match for the 'Cats with an impressive 6-1, 6-0 win over Jones.
In the final flight of the day Houser was able to beat Miller 6-4, 4-2, making the final score for the match 5-4, Linfield.
 
SUNDAY VS LEWIS AND CLARK
DOUBLES
Facing NWC competition for the first time since September, the Wildcats came out strong against the Pioneers, taking two out of three doubles flights.
Although Stone and Young fell 8-6 to Kristian Peev and Alberto Dos Santos, Gabelman and Milner were able to respond in the No. 2 flight with an 8-5 win over Lewis and Clark's Logan Hausler and Bennet Gazor. Pickar and Solomon then put Linfield in front on the day 2-1 with an 8-2 win over Atticus Pallock and Miles Stone.
SINGLES
Despite Linfield's success in doubles, the Pioneers came out in force for the singles contests, taking five out of six flights. In the No. 1 flight Rogue Stone lost to Peev 6-3, 6-4 before Gabelman dropped the No. 2 flight to Hauser 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, the only Wildcat on the losing end of singles action to avoid falling in straight sets.
Young lost to Dos Santos 6-1, 6-1 in the No. 3 flight and Milner lost to Miles Stone 6-2, 6-0 before Pickar was able to pick up the lone singles win for Linfield at 6-2, 6-2 over Gazor in the No. 5 flight.
The match ended with Solomon falling to Pallock 7-6, 6-2, the first set being won with a 7-4 tiebreaker, making the final score for the match 6-3, Lewis and Clark.
"Singles didn't start our way, but I'm really proud of the way we didn't go away," said head coach Ben Belletto. "We lost the first 4 first sets but battled and hung around. Nick did a great job adjusting. Rogue played really well. Cody stepped up huge today. Despite the loss, it was a good showing that will help us be better as the year goes on."

NEXT
The Wildcats will take next weekend off before resuming action at Pacific on Saturday, March 5 at 11:00. They'll then host Lewis and Clark on March 12 before visiting Pacific Lutheran on March 19.
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