TACOMA, Wash. – The Linfield men's tennis team scrapped their way through a tough Northwest Conference battle on Sunday, but eventually fell to the Puget Sound Loggers 5-4 at the UPS Tennis Pavilion.
The loss dropped the Wildcats to 2-9 on the year while the Loggers picked up their first win of the season, improving to 1-4.
"We played much better today and are showing impressive resiliency and toughness," praised Wildcats coach
Ben Belletto. "We played more aggressive doubles and made steps forward in singles.
Rogue Stone had a breakthrough weekend, going 3-1 at the top spot.
Nick Gabelman and
Cody Pickar both showed growth in singles."
DOUBLES
The day started on a winning note for Linfield with the No. 1 flight going to the Wildcats on a 8-4 victory for Stone and
Matous Young over Puget Sound's Trent Beckman and Noah Henderson. It was the Linfield duos first win of the season as a team.
Gabelman and Pickar fought hard through the No. 2 flight while
Isaac Milner and
Seamus Miller doing the same in the No. 3, but both eventually fell to the Loggers.
Gabelman and Pickar lost 8-5 to Mike Smolkis and Rene Del Barco and Milner and Miller lost 8-6 to Nicholas Pulido and Brayden Sawyer, putting Puget Sound up 2-1 at the end of doubles play.
SINGLES
Stone kept his strong play rolling into singles action, topping Beckman 6-4, 6-2 in the top singles flight of the match. It was Stone's third win of the weekend between both singles and doubles play through the two Tacoma matches.
Gabelman improved Linfield's score to 3-2 on the day in the No. 2 flight with a three set 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 win over Henderson. But the Loggers' evened the score at 3-3 in a hard-fought No. 3 flight featuring Young against Smolskis that eventually saw Smolskis take the win 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.
But the Wildcats bounced back with a win from Pickar in the No. 4 flight, downing UPS's Will Church 6-2, 6-4 to make the match score 4-3, Linfield.
Puget Sound evened at again after the No. 5 flight, with Milner falling to Pulido 6-2, 6-4, bringing the result of the match down to the last contest of the day.
The No. 6 flight saw
Alexandre Collard paired against Sawyer, and was another three set battle. Sawyer opened with a win in the opening set before Collard countered by taking the second. But it was Sawyer who took the third, winning the flight 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 and setting the final match score at 5-4, Puget Sound.
NEXT
The Wildcats will take a break next weekend before returning to action on April 2, hosting Willamette (0-4). They'll then visit George Fox (8-1) in Newberg on April 3 before hosting Whitman on April 9 (3-11).
