Linfield University Athletics

MCMINNVILLE, Ore. – In a dominant bounce back performance Saturday the Linfield women's tennis team shut out the Whitworth Pirates 9-0 in Rustschman Field House.
 
It was the third time this season the Wildcats (6-2, 3-1) have swept all nine flights against an opponent this season. It was their fourth consecutive shutout of the Pirates and 14^th win in the last 15 meetings.
 
Linfield and Whitworth (4-4, 1-2) last met in the 2022 Northwest Conference Tournament championship match last April.
 
DOUBLES
Linfield faced little resistance through doubles, allowing Whitworth to take just three sets through the three contests.
 
Lexie Matsunaga and Allena Wong dominated the No. 1 flight 8-0 over the Pirates' Gracie Smyley and Kara Nelson.
 
The Wildcat duo improved to 4-2 as Linfield's No. 1 doubles team, earning their first shutout win this season.
 
In the No. 2 flight senior Taryn Fujimori and sophomore Emma Tuttle handled Natalie Budge and Elizabeth Hopkins 8-2 while Alexis Garner and Sarah Forester cruised past Oliva Corbett and Meredith Bedford 8-1 in the No. 3 flight.
 
Garner and Forester are now a team best 5-2 as a duo.
 
SINGLES
Holding a 3-0 lead after doubles the Wildcats kept their dominance going at the top of singles action.
 
Fujimori improved to 5-3 as Linfield's No. 1 with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Smyley in the top flight.
 
Matsunaga nearly blanked Budge with a 6-0, 6-1 win in the No. 2 flight, giving the Wildcats the win at 5-0 on the match.
 
Forester kept Nelson without a game in the first set and eventually won 6-0, 6-2 in the No. 3 flight, to improve to a team-best 6-2 record in singles this season.
 
In the fourth flight Wong beat Corbett 6-4, 6-1 while Tuttle managed a 6-1, 6-1 win against Bedford in the No. 5.
 
The final contest of the day was the most closely contested, with freshman Lisa Ponti battling Hopkins in the No. 6 flight.
 
Hopkins took the first set 6-4 before Ponti responded to win in the second 6-2. With the match score already at 8-0, the two played a 10-point tiebreaker instead of a third set. Ponti won 10-6 to take the flight and secure the sweep for the Wildcats.
 
NEXT
Linfield will enjoy a next weekend off from competition before hosting non-conference foe Colorado College (0-4) on March 26 at 1:00.
 
The 'Cats then resume NWC in Tacoma to start four straight matches on the road. Linfield visits Pacific Lutheran on April 1 and Puget Sound the following day.
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