Match Results

WALLA WALLA - No. 14 nationally-ranked Whitman wrapped up its seventh straight Northwest Conference men's tennis title on Friday night with a 9-0 victory over visiting Linfield.

The Missionaries, fourth in the latest NCAA Division III West Region poll, are now 11-0 in conference play and 16-4 overall after posting their seventh straight win and fourth in succession by a 9-0 score.

By clinching the regular-season championship, Whitman has earned the right to host next weekend's conference tournament. The Missionaries will play Lewis & Clark at 10 a.m. next Friday in one of two semifinal contests to be staged on the Whitman College campus.

Friday's second semifinal will pit George Fox against Pacific at 2 p.m.

The winners will square off next Saturday at 10 a.m. for the tourney crown and automatic berth into the NCAA Division III tournament.

Whitman won Friday's encounter with Linfield despite resting its top four singles players. 

Jake Hoeger and Andy Riggs claimed a victory at No. 1 doubles while Will Huskey and Steven Roston triumphed at No. 2.

Colton Malesovas and Alex Noyes took No. 3 doubles by default.

Petar Jivkov, Hoeger, Atanas Atanasov, Joey Diaz, and Jacob Christensen swept singles matches one through five for the Missionaries.

Parker Silverman won by default at No. 6.

"Joey played great tennis," Whitman coach Jeff Northam said. "It was nice to see."

Atanasov, a theatre major, is getting back into the swing of things on the court after a long run on stage as Hamlet. 

"It's great to have him back on our team," Northam said. "He's like a ray of sunshine."

Whitman hosts Willamette in its conference and regular-season finale Saturday at 1 p.m.