By Roy Elia

PORTLAND - Whitman's women's tennis team, ranked seventh regionally and 16th nationally, ended its trek through the Willamette Valley in style Sunday afternoon with a 9-0 victory over Northwest Conference rival Lewis & Clark at the Tennis Dome.

The Missionaries, who have won four of their last five contests, raised their NWC record to 4-0 and are now 5-6 overall. 

Courtney Lawless and Maddy Webster posted an 8-3 win in No. 1 doubles on Sunday while Erin Bell and Katrina Allick claimed No. 2 doubles by an 8-0 count.

"We kept our one and two doubles the same (as the previous day against George Fox) and they played great," Whitman coach John Hein said. 

Seana Minuth made the most of an opportunity given at No. 3 doubles when she joined Hannah Palkowitz for an 8-3 conquest.
"She is getting better every day and every week," Hein said of Minuth.

Lawless, Jenna Dobrin, Allick, Webster, Palkowitz, and Olivia Bates earned singles victories for the Missionaries. Allick's 6-1, 7-5 triumph over Lewis & Clark's Makena McCluskey was especially pleasing to Hein.

"Katrina had an outstanding first set," Hein said. "The second set got away from her a little bit. She was down 4-5, then played her three best games of the match.

"We had the same goal as Saturday," Hein said of his team's mindset. "We felt good yesterday (after beating George Fox) and didn't want to have a letdown at the end of a long week. We stayed focused from the start to the finish."

Whitman returns to competition in two weeks. The Missionaries host Pacific Lutheran on March 14, and Puget Sound and Bellevue Community College on March 15 at the Bratton Tennis Center.

Match Results