NEWBERG, Ore. – The Linfield women's tennis program got its first taste of competition since April over the weekend, co-hosting the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Division III Northwest Regional Championship tournament along with the Pacific Boxers.
 
Although Linfield and Pacific served as lead hosts for the event competition took place in Newberg at the George Fox Tennis Center as well as nearby Jaquith Park.
 
"Overall, I was pleased with the weekend," said head coach Phil Whitehead. "We matched up well against the teams we should match up well against and our top half of the lineup looks strong. The plan is to get better before spring, now we're on to offseason workouts."
 
Linfield's weekend was highlighted by solid performances out of the Wildcats' trio of seniors, as top doubles team Kaitlynn Canubida and Samantha Baltz reached the semifinals of the doubles consolation bracket and Emily Redwood reached the quarterfinals of the singles "Flight A" consolation draw.
 
DOUBLES
Linfield's lone win in the main doubles draw Friday came from junior Sundi King and Lyla Khlee, beating George Fox's Nicole Schnurbusch and Rachel Suelzle in a competitive 8-6 match, before falling in the round of 16 later that day to Lewis & Clark's Faith Galyardt and Sonya Drayton, who would go on to reach the weekend's doubles semifinals.
 
None of the Wildcats' other teams managed a main bracket win, with Canubida and Baltz coming the closest in an 8-6 loss to Alexis Mattox and Andrea DelCastillo of Whitworth.
 
The Linfield senior duo immediately showed their ability in the consolation bracket, cruising past Willamette's Sofia Spencer and Eliza Pfaff 8-1 to advance to the quarterfinals where they beat Alexandra Mignona and Cloe Alcorn of Lewis & Clark 8-6.
 
Their run ended in Saturday night's semifinal, falling to Puget Sound's Megan Smith and Nicole Wilson 8-4.
 
SINGLES
Canubida entered the weekend as Linfield's lone top 10 seed but was instantly forced to battle in an early morning match, beating George Fox's Juhree Kizziar in a thrilling three-setter with two tiebreaks finally ending in a 7-6 (8-6), 3-6, 7-6 (7-4).
 
But after a taxing opening contest, Canubida found herself out in straight sets in the round of 16 with Lewis & Clark's Maya Curry pulling of a 7-6 (7-5), 7-5 upset.
 
Linfield's two other singles entrants in the "A Draw," Redwood and Baltz, both were forced to Saturday's consolation bracket after straight-set losses in the round of 32.
 
Redwood was nearly immediately jettisoned to the consolation quarterfinals after her first consolation opponent, Pacific's Stella Nishimura, was forced to withdraw due to injury. From there she fell 6-4, 6-1 to eventual "Flight A" consolation champion Audrey Judson of Whitworth.
 
Baltz unfortunately had her singles run cut short in abbreviated 4-2, 4-0 loss Puget Sound's Isabelle Bourgeau.
 
In the "B Flight" Molony snagged a 7-5, 6-2 win in the round of 32 over Pacific's Victoria Haraden, but fell in the round of 16 to George Fox's Nicole Wilson 6-2, 6-1.
 
Khlee took a loss in the round of 32 6-2, 6-3 to Puget Sound's Meredith Friess, an eventual quarterfinalist, but was able to win her first consolation match 0-4, 4-2 (10-5) against Pfaff before falling Schnurbusch 6-3, 6-1 in the consolation quarterfinals.
 
The weekend's action saw Linfield freshman Shianne Wolf see her first collegiate competition in the singles "B Draw", as well as junior Evelyn Cross, formerly a lacrosse athlete for the Wildcats, competing in tennis for the first time paired with Steffenie Stark in the doubles tournament.