Linfield University Athletics

FOREST GROVE, Ore. – Picking up its tenth win of the season and fifth straight, the Linfield women's tennis team won 6-3 in its penultimate match of the regular season Saturday at Pacific.
 
The Wildcats (10-2, 6-1) rallied to the win thanks to a steep advantage in lineup depth over the Boxers (2-5, 2-1) despite losing to ranked opponents in the top doubles and top two singles flights.
 
Linfield has now recorded at least 10 wins for 12 of the last 13 seasons, the only that season that stands out being 2020, which was canceled after just eight matches due to Covid-19.
 
The win also tightened Linfield's grip on second place in the Northwest Conference standings, just one match back in the loss column from league-leading Whitman.
 
DOUBLES
The No. 1 doubles flight featured high caliber play but Linfield's Lexie Matsunaga and Allena Wong eventually took just their second loss of conference play, 8-1, to Pacific sister act Sydnie and Cassidy Binder.
 
The Binder's are ranked No. 9 in the West Region in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's most recent rankings while Matsunaga and Wong are ranked No. 13.
 
But Matsunaga and Wong were immediately picked up by their teammates at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles for the 'Cats to take a 2-1 advantage heading into singles.
 
In the second flight Taryn Fujimori and Emma Tuttle won their fourth straight match as a duo, handling business in an 8-3 win over Anna Emerson and Anneke Hanson.
 
In the third flight Sarah Forester and Alexis Garner dominated in an 8-0 victory against Keilyn Futter and Angela Nguyen.
 
SINGLES
The top lines of singles play told a similar story to doubles, as the Binder sisters controlled their respective matches against the Wildcats.
 
In the No. 1 Cassidy Binder, the seventh-ranked singles player in the west, beat Fujimori 6-4, 6-2, while Matsunaga lost in the second flight to Sydnie Binder, ranked No. 25 in the west, 6-4, 6-3.
 
But once again the depth of the Wildcats' lineup proved advantageous, as Linfield easily handled Pacific the rest of the way, winning all remaining flights in straight sets and allowing Pacific to win just four games in the four combined matches.
 
In the No. 3 Forester blanked Emerson 6-0, 6-0 to win her team leading eighth match of the year and fourth consecutive, while Wong also pulled off a 6-0, 6-0 shutout in the No. 4 over Nguyen.
 
In the No. 5 Tuttle allowed Futter to pick up just one game in the first set, winning 6-1, 6-0, while Lisa Ponti dispatched Hanson 6-1, 6-2 in a freshman v. freshman battle in the No. 6.
 
NEXT
The Wildcats will visit Eugene on Easter Sunday for an exhibition match with the University of Oregon's club team before wrapping up the regular season at home on Saturday, April 15 at 10:00 against Lewis and Clark (5-7, 2-2).
 
That match will also serve as Senior Day, as the program will honor senior Matsunaga, Fujimori and Wong prior to the match start.
 
The NWC Tournament will take place April 22 at the host site of the regular season champion.
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