Men's Tennis | 4/17/2016 1:44:00 PM

WALLA WALLA, Wash. – With Sunday morning's 8-1 Northwest Conference win over visiting Pacific Lutheran College, the 19th-ranked Whitman College men's tennis team wrapped up the regular season atop the league standings for the 10th consecutive year. The victory Sunday was clinched by the end of the fifth match on the sun-splashed Whitman Tennis Courts where Joey Diaz rolled to a straight-set, 6-2, 6-0 win in the 6-singles slot.

The Whitties (16-8, 11-1 NWC) will host the conference postseason tournament at the Whitman courts Saturday and Sunday, April 23-24. The Lutes close out their season with a 1-15 mark overall and 1-11 record within the league.

Diaz's clinching match Sunday came after a Whitman sweep of the three doubles matches and a win at the top of the singles ladder by Nishaant Limaye, who drubbed PLU's James Okubo in straight sets (6-2, 6-0) for the fourth Whittie point.

Over the course of the weekend -- Whitman routed visiting University of Puget Sound, 9-0, Saturday afternoon to clinch at least a tie for the regular season title -- Diaz compiled a perfect record, winning his pair of No. 6 singles matches by identical scores after teaming with Luke Targett twice for quick wins in the 3-doubles slot.

Almost as dominant in singles play for Whitman were Alex Noyes and Trevor Fennessy.

Noyes dropped a total of five games between his pair of victories in the No. 2 spot, and Fennessy matched that number in his two wins playing at No. 4.

Limaye and Targett, at Nos. 1 and 5, respectively, also rolled through singles action, each winning in straight sets Saturday and Sunday surrendering nine games or fewer combined over the weekend.

The Whitties will be trying to win their ninth straight NWC tournament at this year's event.