TACOMA, Wash. – Despite sweeping doubles competition for a second time on the season Linfield men's tennis found itself on the wrong end of a 4-3 final score on Sunday visiting Puget Sound.
Missing No. 1 overall player
Brooks Lerfald the Wildcats rolled out two new doubles teams with success, including the first career varsity dual match appearances for No. 3 teammates
Wyatt Zagyva and
Tommy Gabrielsen.
Linfield also saw 2-0 performances from
Alexander Rosenquist and
Cameron Paulsen, both unbeaten in both doubles and singles play.
The Loggers improved to 3-7 in the Northwest Conference with the win. Two of their wins have come in their last three matches. Linfield fell to 2-8 in conference play.
DOUBLES
Sunday proved to be one of Linfield's best doubles performances on the season despite the absence of Lerfald.
At the top of the ladder Lerfald's usual partner
Rogue Stone was paired with
Alexander Rosenquist. It was the first time the duo had played together in over two calendar years, but despite the time away as teammates they closed out a tight match via tiebreak 7-6 (7-4) against the Loggers' Will Church and Jason Rowe.
In the No. 2 match Paulsen and partner
Matous Young continued their strong run of play with a commanding 6-1 win over Trent Beckman and Jackson Stumpf. The Linfield tandem improved to 4-7 on the year and 2-1 in their last three matches, all of which they've played as the Wildcats' No. 2 team.
Zagyva and Gabrielsen both recorded their first career dual match win with a 6-4 victory over Tyler Blixt and Vincent Unpingco, the first time playing as part of Linfield's top six in both of their careers. Linfield's doubles sweep was the first for the 'Cats since March 9.
SINGLES
Other than individual wins for Paulsen and Rosenquist Linfield's luck did not fare the same in singles as it had for the Wildcats in doubles.
Stone played at the No. 1 singles spot for the first time in his career since Feb. 5, 2023, but fell 6-0, 6-0 to Rowe to even the team match score at 1-1 for the Loggers.
With all six matches playing concurrently Puget Sound quickly took the lead from Linfield with a 6-2, 6-0 win for Beckman against Young at No. 4, the highest Young has played on the ladder since his first season with the Wildcats since 2022.
The Loggers continued their strong play with a 6-3, 6-1 win for Stumpf over
Nick Owens and were clinch the match with a 6-4, 6-1 result for Unpingco over Gabrielsen, playing in a dual match singles contest for the first time in his career.
Meanwhile Paulsen and Rosenquist were both able seal wins at No. 2 and No. 3.
Paulsen, appearing higher on the ladder than in any match so far in his career, was unfazed by the challenge and managed to win in straight sets with a controlled performance in the second despite having to secure a seventh game to take the first, eventually winning 7-5, 6-1 against Church.
Rosenquist took the opening set against a rested Carson Ward before lagging in the second, but responded to win the contest with a third-set tiebreak and take the flight 6-3, 3-6, 11-9. It was Rosenquist's fourth singles win of his junior season.
NEXT
After eight straight road matches Linfield will play in McMinnville for the first time since March 8 next weekend with two matches at home.
Linfield hosts the Whitworth Pirates (5-11, 5-5) on Saturday, April 5 before the first-place Whitman Blues (12-11, 10-0) come to town the following day. Both matches are slated to begin at 11 a.m.
