WALLA WALLA, Wash. – A pair of nationally-ranked programs faced off Friday afternoon in the opening match of the WC Winter Classic as No. 22 Whitman College welcomed 33rd-ranked Trinity (Texas) University to the Bratton Indoor Tennis Center. The host Missionaries earned two of three in doubles action but were dealt multiple defeats in singles play as the Tigers rallied to steal a 5-4 non-conference decision.

The loss drops Whitman to 1-3 while Trinity evens its record at 1-1.

The Tigers earned the first point of the day by taking No. 3 doubles, but the pairing of Jenna Dobrin and Cello Lockwood pulled Whitman even with a rousing 8-2 win over Gabrielle Roe and Andrea De Leon -- the eighth-ranked Division III duo in the country -- at 2- doubles. That victory was followed by another at No. 1 from Whitman's tandem of Hanna Greenberg and Mary Hill which took an 8-6 decision from Trinity's Liza Southwick and Marie Lutz.

Roe evened the team score for the Tigers with a straight-set win at 4-singles over the Missionaries' Jana Klages-Miller but soon after Hill completed a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Southwick at No. 3 to push the Whitties back in front, 3-2.

Other than Lindsey Brodeck's 6-2, 6-2 win at 6-singles, though, the rest of Whitman's afternoon proved difficult.

Twice in the other three singles matches Whitman's player -- Lockwood at No. 2 and Allie Wallin at No. 6 -- took the match into a third set only to have their Trinity opponent sneak out a third-set and match victory.

The Winter Classic continues Saturday, day two of three, with Whitman beginning the day against 18th-ranked University of Redlands (Calif.) at 8 a.m. Trinity then takes on Linfield College at 1 p.m. followed by the day's final match between Redlands and Lewis & Clark College at 6 p.m. All three matches are scheduled for the Bratton Center and will include livestreaming throughout all three matches.