WALLA WALLA, Wash. – Come-from-behind victories by
Chase Friedman then
Zach Hewlin clinched the match win for Whitman College's men's tennis team Sunday afternoon against visiting Pacific (Ore.) University as the host Missionaries defeated the Boxers, 6-3, in a Northwest Conference match at the Whitman Tennis Courts.
The rowdy crowd watched Friedman climb from a 4-1 third-set hole to win at No. 3 singles followed by Hewlin's rally from a 3-2 deficit in the third at 1-singles for the clinching point to keep 15th-ranked Whitman (16-5, 10-0 NWC) unbeaten within the league. Pacific (12-5, 8-2) suffered its second loss to Whitman after falling to the visiting Missionaries by the same score in a match on February 22.
Friedman had dropped the first set to the Boxers' Clark Wininger by an unappealing count of 6-1 but bounced back with a 6-2 win in the second to square the match. Wininger answered by streaking out to a 4-1 lead in the deciding third before Friedman broke serve to get back into the match. A hold followed by another service break tied the match at 4-4 with the serve reverting back to Friedman. He held to go up 5-4 then broke Wininger for the deciding game in a 6-4 victory that put Whitman within a point of clinching the match.
Attention was drawn to the battle between the No. 1s, Hewlin and Giancarlo Battaglia, while the 5s, Whitman's
Jake Hoeger and Pacific's Reuben Mulhern were squaring off on a lower court, a set behind Hewlin and Battaglia.
Hewlin rolled to a 6-1 win in the opening set but wasn't able to maintain his domination of Battaglia in the second set as the Boxer evened the match with a 6-4 win. Battaglia carried momentum into the third and was serving with a 3-2 lead before Hewlin righted the ship and broke serve to tie things at 3-3. From there Hewlin followed Friedman's script, reeling off service holds and breaks before serving out for the win in a 6-3 victory that clinched the team win for Whitman.
Hoeger, like with Friedman, fell behind early with a first-set loss but battled Mulhern in the second until drawing even with a 7-6 (1) win. Hewlin's clinching victory came during the first games of Hoeger's third set, but despite the team win already in hand Hoeger didn't let down, rolling to the win with a 6-1 rout.
Pacific had begun the match with a win at No. 3 doubles but Whitman's
Colton Malesovas and
James Rivers responded to the deficit with an 8-3 win over Battaglia and Oscar Wight at 1-doubles. The Boxers eked out a 9-8 win at No. 2 over Hewlin and Hoeger, though, to resume their lead heading into singles action.
The 2-1 deficit quickly disappeared as
Phillip Locklear at No. 4 then Rivers at No. 6 raced out to straight-set wins to set up Friedman, Hewlin and Hoeger.
The regular season concludes Friday and Saturday when Whitman welcomes the University of Puget Sound (Friday) and Pacific Lutheran University (Saturday) to Walla Walla for the final two conference matches. The Missionaries will double-up Saturday, taking on Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) College in a non-conference match following the PLU match.
