The depth of the Linfield women's tennis program has always been a strength for the Wildcats, who have won five straight Northwest Conference regular-season championships.
 
A Second Team All-NWC selection in 2022, Sarah Forester continues to develop into a veteran leader for the 'Cats. And for the first time in her career on Monday, the junior was named the NWC Women's Tennis Student-Athlete of the Week.
 
Forester led Linfield to a 2-0 week in California. The 'Cats opened the road trip with a convincing 8-1 win at Whittier on Wednesday. Their match at Redlands on Saturday was canceled due to rain, but the 'Cats came back on Sunday to edge out Occidental by a score of 5-4.
 
The Corvallis native went 2-0 in singles and won both of her doubles matches with teammate Alexis Garner. Against Whittier, Forester won No. 3 singles with a 7-6 tiebreaker, beating the Poets' Maci Davis by scores of 6-0 and 7-6. She and Garner took down Jasmine Saunders and Emily List, 8-6, in No. 3 doubles.
 
It was a similar story for Forester against Occidental. She beat the Tigers' Alexis Matabuena, 6-1, 6-4, in No. 3 singles before she and Garner won No. 3 doubles over Emma Silber and Lillian Lin with a score of 8-5.
 
Forester is 3-1 on the season in both singles and doubles. Her only losses came to Division I Portland State. The 'Cats (3-1) open the NWC portion of their schedule this weekend, hosting Willamette on Saturday before playing at George Fox on Sunday. Both matches will start at 10 a.m.