SPOKANE, Wash. -- With Lewis & Clark taking five of the six singles matches in Saturday's dual against the Whitworth Pirates, it wouldn't have mattered the outcome of the doubles pairings. Unless, perhaps, the Pioneers' ability to squeeze out wins in two of the three doubles matches, all of which went into tiebreakers, set the tone for the singles round.
Raed Attia and Kevin Ross, along with Brenden and Gordon Barrows, won the top two doubles pairings at the Scotford Tennis Center, giving Lewis & Clark a 2-1 edge entering singles play. All three were 9-8 finals, with Attia and Ross winning their tiebreaker 7-1 and the Barrowses closing out at 7-3.
Whitworth's Caleb Hughes and Shane Sandlin defeated Harrison Collins and Keane Hindle 7-4 in the tiebreaker.
"I have never been part of a match where all three doubles flights went to a tiebreaker," said Lewis & Clark assistant coach Jimmy Chau. "Whitworth quickly tied up the match again with a win at No. 1, and from there on out, it was a team effort as guys stepped up at every position."
Ross was unable to play his singles match, forcing Gordon Barrows into the No. 2 spot. He defeated Blake Miller 6-3, 6-4. Attia, playing in the No. 1 spot, was defeated by Drew Brigham 6-4, 6-3.
Lewis & Clark won the remaining four matches, including two three-set outcomes. Without Ross, every player below the No. 2 spot ended up playing one position higher, perhaps facing a match-up they didn't expect. Nonetheless, those competitors went 4-0.
Daniel Hahm took his first set, 6-3, in the No. 3 pairing before Layne Ryerson evened the match with a 6-2 second set. Hahm closed it out with at 6-4 in the third.
Playing in the No. 6 spot, after expecting to be outside the starting lineup, Pim Trouerbach (pictured right) dropped the first set to Jhum Gumboc, 3-6, before winning 6-2 in the second and 10-4 in the closing set race to 10.
Collins and Brenden Barrows both won in straight sets. Collins was pushed in the second set after not dropping a point in the opening frame, beating Adams 6-0, 7-6. Brenden Barrows went 6-2, 6-4 to defeat Sandlin.
Saturday's matches were the Pios first since playing Portland State on Feb. 4. Lewis & Clark plays at Whitman on Sunday and George Fox on Friday before their Northwest Conference home opener on Feb. 27 against Pacific Lutheran.
Other Northwest Conference Matches - Saturday
Whitman 9, George Fox 0
Linfield 5, Puget Sound 4
Pacific 9, Pacific Lutheran 0
