By Roy Elia

SALEM - No. 16 nationally-ranked Whitman improved its Northwest Conference men's tennis record to 2-0 and moved to 3-1 overall Saturday after a 9-0 whitewashing of Willamette.

The Bearcats slipped to 0-2 in league and 0-4 overall.

Colton Malesovas, Steven Roston, Jake Hoeger and James Rivers were straight-set winners. Maleovas beat Sam Wexman, 6-0, 6-2, Roston swept Jack Schreiber, 6-2, 6-4, Hoeger humbled Devin Abney, 6-1, 6-1, and Rivers stopped Blake Brash, 6-3, 6-3.

Petar Jivkov and Parker Silverman both had to go to a bonus panel to prevail. Jivkov beat Will Cooper, 6-3, 4-6, 1-0 (10-6) and Silverman outlasted Gunnar Lee, 6-7 (5-7), 6-1, 1-0 (10-3).

Whitman dropped just seven games in three doubles wins.

Malesovas and Andrew La Cava defeated Wexman and Lee, 8-3, Hoeger and Andy Riggs knocked off Abney and Cooper by a similar 8-3 count, and  Roston and Rivers won in convincing fashion over Brash and Shrujan Kalidindi, 8-1.

Whitman opens a six-match homestand March 1 when it hosts George Fox.


Match Results