NEWBERG, Ore. – For the first time in sixteen years Linfield men's tennis got the better of its cross-county rival George Fox, winning 4-3 Saturday inside the Bruin Tennis Center.
Fueled by a sweep of doubles action to start the day, the win marked the first time the Wildcats (3-6, 3-3) have beat the Bruins (3-5, 3-4) since a 7-2 victory, also in Newberg, on March 31, 2011. The win also snapped a four-match losing streak for the 'Cats, picking up their first win since February 15.
"Personally, I will always remember beating Michigan my sophomore year of college at Northwestern," said head coach
Todd Mansfield. "Every single player on my team is going to remember this day forever. Today was a special day."
DOUBLES
Saturday marked the third time this season Linfield's swept their way through doubles play, but the Wildcats were forced to do so in dramatic fashion.
At No. 1
Brooks Lerfald and
Zac Nakajima picked up their fourth win of the season as Linfield's top duo, beating top Bruin pairing Zach Moore and Ikuho Ebisu 6-4 to get things started for the Wildcats.
The two subsequent matches finished with identical scores finished by a tiebreaker.
At No. 3
Alexander Rosenquist and
Nick Owens outlasted Keita Shoji and Aiden Cruz 7-6 (7-4) to clinch to the doubles point for the 'Cats, before they completed the sweep when
Joey Henderson and
Cameron Paulsen did the same to Luis Hernandez and Bernardo Martinez at No. 2.
"When we got the doubles point, I just got a feeling it was going to be a memorable day," said Mansfield. "Alexander and Nick showed up big time, being down 3-5 and roaring back to win it in a tiebreaker. Sweeping George Fox in doubles, we may have to go even further back in the record books to find when that last happened."
SINGLES
With all the momentum on Linfield's side heading into singles, the 'Cats immediately added more with a commanding win by the lone freshman in the lineup,
Gavin Orozco, 6-2, 6-0 over Martinez at No. 6 to make the lead 2-0.
It was a continuation of strong play by the rookie, picking up a second straight win to improve to 4-4 on the season.
At the top of the ladder Mansfield opted to swap his top two players from their usual spots, slotting Nakajima into the top flight while Lerfald played No. 2.
The move paid dividends for Lerfald, winning comfortably 6-2, 6-3 over Shoji in the first match he's played lower than No. 1 this season to put the Wildcats on the verge of clinching with the score at 3-0.
"I'm always looking for players with heart and great character," said Mansfield. "Today when I told Brooks he would be playing No. 2, I knew it would be a risk. His only reaction was, 'let's go.' It was one of the best matches I have seen him play all year."
It was not the same result for Nakajima though, facing one of the top players in the Northwest Conference in Zach Moore, ranked No. 9 in the West Region of NCAA DIII by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
Nakajima was able to force Moore to an extra game in the first set, but could not maintain his play through the second with Moore eventually winning 7-6, 6-2.
Meanwhile, Cruz managed a 6-4, 6-0 win at No. 5 against Rosenquist, he and Moore getting George Fox on the board and putting heat on the Wildcats with the score at 3-2.
But the Wildcats managed to clinch their historic win thanks to a gutsy effort from Paulsen against Hernandez at No. 3. Forced into a third set after dropping the second, Paulsen immediately pulled away in the late stages to win 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.
"Even up 3-1, I was nervous because there were still three matches out," said Mansfield. "Zac was down a set and Joey and Cam looked like they were going to split sets. However, as soon as Cam got new balls for the third set, I knew it was over. His aggressive serve and groundstrokes were going to be too much for Luis, and he proved me right."
Paulsen's singles record on the season stands at just 4-5, but he is now a perfect 3-0 on the year when playing in the No. 3 spot in the lineup.
The match concluded with another three-setter, as Ibisu outlasted Henderson 5-7, 6-2, 6-0 at No. 4, setting the final team score at Linfield 4, George Fox 3.
NEXT
Linfield kicks off a three-match conference homestand tomorrow hosting Lewis & Clark in McMinnville at 11 a.m. The Wildcats then host Puget Sound and Willamette next weekend before taking a hiatus from NWC action to play four matches in California over spring break.
