LAKEWOOD, Wash.  Whitman's split squad conquered teams more than 1,700 miles apart Sunday morning, opening with a 5-4 non-conference victory at 17th-ranked University of Texas at Tyler followed later in the morning by an 8-1 Northwest Conference men's tennis win at Pacific Lutheran University.

The day's results lift No. 13 Whitman to 20-6 overall and 10-0 within the conference.

Whitman's early match -- a 7 a.m. Pacific Time start -- in Texas opened with the Blues finishing off doubles action with a 2-1 lead at the Summers Tennis Center.

Robert Carter and Jake Hoeger at No. 1, and Zach Hewlin and Peter Jivkov at No. 2 both earned 8-5 victories over their Patriots opponents.

Three points away from victory entering the six singles matches Whitman got exactly what they needed, three wins including a three-setter at No. 6.

Jivkov at 2-singles and Carter at No. 4 both won in straight sets, but Daniel Foster had to fight through a third set to capture his point.

Tyler's Gabriel Hidalgo looked solid in winning the opening set, 6-2, over Foster but the Whitman first-year looked just as strong in the second, evening the match with a 6-3 win.

The deciding third was all Foster as he registered several service breaks in a 6-1 clinching win.

Texas-Tyler falls to 14-6 on the year with the loss.

The more palatable morning start -- 10 a.m. -- against PLU (3-12, 3-9 NWC) at the Lakewood Racket Club saw a similar opening act to the one in Texas.

The Nos. 2 and 3 doubles pairings for Whitman picked up the early points for a 2-1 advantage.

Rajul Chikkalingaiah teamed with Luke Targett for the first point at No. 2, then Jacob Christensen and Joey Diaz added the second point for the Blues at 3-doubles.

The way Whitman played in its singles matches, however, made moot the action from doubles play.

Each of Whitman's singles players won in straight sets with five of the six surrendering a total of four games, while the other -- Alex Hwang at No. 1 -- gave up only three games in his rout of PLU's top player, Ryan Adams.

Hwang and Adam Rapoport, playing at 2-singles, avenged their loss in doubles at No. 1 to Adams and James Okubo.

In the conference's mathematical formula to determine its regular season champion the Blues are tied for the lead with Lewis & Clark College, each with six points.

Whitman has league matches remaining at George Fox University, Saturday, and at Pacific (Ore.) University, Sunday, and should the Blues win out they would earn the regular season title and host the postseason NWC tournament which is scheduled for April 22-23.