Boxscore

by Jimmy Chau

PORTLAND, OR.-

Finding their stride midway through the doubles matches, the Pios get back into the win column after a 6-3 win in Tacoma.  After losing their previous four matches, the Pioneers rally as a team to take a match that saw everyone play in higher flights.

Doubles action started shakily for the Pioneers as midway through, Coach Tilmanis looked up to see all three doubles teams struggling on the score cards.  Playing in new pairings, the Pios would only need a few more games to gel and find their groove.  Starting the rally for the Pioneers were Whitney DeBree and Izzy Borris who asserted themselves more to take an 8-6 win over Leah Newell and Tina Aarsvold that would pump up the Pios.  The Lutes would claim the third doubles flight though as Saiyare Refaei and Amanda Peterson would win 8-3 over Makena McCluskey and Catherine Eichhorn.  Jill Coleman and Olivia Sweetman fed off of their teammates' energy to give the Pioneers a much needed 2-1 advantage as they rallied in their match also to win 8-6.

Two very tight three set matches highlighted singles play with one match going to each team.  DeBree raced out to a 6-0 lead in number one singles play, but Newell would not be turned away as she rallied and outlasted the DeBree, 7-5 and 6-4 in the final sets to take the match.  Borris and Coleman would turn in impressive 6-1, 6-0 victories over their opponents in the numbers two and three flights to put the Pioneers a win away from clinching the dual match.  Makena McCluskey turned in the highlight performance of the day for the Pioneers as she staved away three match points to push her match into a tie-breaker in the third set.  Riding her momentum through the tie-breaker, McCluskey would finish off the most complete match of her young career in a 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3) thriller. 

The women take the show on the road next week with matches against George Fox University and Willamette University.