WALLA WALLA, Wash. – Top Linfield duo
Brooks Lerfald and
Zac Nakajima continued their strong play with a thrilling No. 1 doubles win but the Wildcats could not overtake reigning Northwest Conference champion Whitman Saturday, falling 7-0 to the Blues.
The Wildcats' (5-11, 5-5) lead doubles team improved to 9-6 overall on the year and an impressive 7-2 against NWC opponents. Elsewhere in the lineup Whitman (10-5, 9-0) managed wins despite competitive performances from Linfield across the board to continue their hold on first place in the league standings.
It was the first conference match for either team since March 15.
"We are in an exciting time with this group," said head coach
Todd Mansfield. "We have four matches left. I want to win every one and roll into the playoffs so we will have another chance at Whitman, but we have to take it one match at a time and Whitworth is next. They are an excellent team, but I think we match up well."
DOUBLES
Lerfald and Nakajima's win came in dramatic fashion, having to win by seven-point tiebreak but taking the set 7-6 (7-5) against top Whitman team Alexander Stage and Niklas Jensen.
It was the fifth consecutive win against league opponents by Linfield's No. 1 tandem and gave Stage and Jensen just their third loss of the season in twelve doubles contests.
"What a performance by Brooks and Zac," said head coach
Todd Mansfield. "They had to break serve to stay alive at 4-5 and then they win it 8-6 in the tie-breaker? I love coaching this team, because all the guys fight like that."
The doubles point had already been clinched by Whitman by taking flights two and three.
Nick Owens and
Gavin Orozco took a 6-1 loss at No. 3 to Guillermo Rodriguez and Hanri Luo, before 1-0 was clinched for the Blues by Artem Manov and Charles Rush, the No. 14 ranked doubles team in NCAA Division III and No. 4 in the "West" region by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, with a competitive 6-4 victory against
Joey Henderson and
Cameron Paulsen at No 2.
SINGLES
In singles the Blues managed a sweep even with Linfield battling in all six flights.
Whitman extended its lead to 2-0 with a win at the bottom the lineup where Luo beat Orozco 6-3, 6-2 at No. 6.
The Blues' lead became 3-0 when Manov, the ITA's No. 5 player in the West and No. 29 in the country, fended off a strong second-set effort from Henderson to win 6-1, 6-4.
It was a similar story in the clinching match where Lerfald struggled in the first set but nearly forced a third against Stage, DIII's No. 10 player and the No. 2 player in the region. The flight ended 6-1, 7-5 to make the dual match score 4-0.
The Wildcats found themselves on the verge of three-set contests throughout the rest of the match as well.
At No. 5 Rush beat
Alexander Rosenquist 6-4, 6-3, before Rodriguez beat Paulsen 6-1, 6-4 at No. 4.
Nakajima was a tiebreak away from a third set in the No. 2 flight against Jensen but it was the Blues' junior transfer via Division I Southern Mississippi prevailing in the end 6-3, 7-6 (6-1).
"You've heard the phrase 'deuces are wild', well today they were crazy and they made me a little nuts," said Mansfield. "The boys kept battling on every court, but the deuces kept getting in the way. If we had won half of them, we would have won the match."
NEXT
Linfield plays its fifth of six consecutive road matches tomorrow at 11 a.m. PDT when the Wildcats visit Whitworth (8-4, 7-2) in Spokane.
Linfield concludes its road stretch back in the Willamette Valley on April 4 at Pacific. The 'Cats will play their first home match since March 15 later that day hosting non-conference opponent UC-Santa Cruz.
