MCMINNVILLE, Ore. –Lewis & Clark College men's tennis came from behind for the second consecutive match to earn a 6-3 Northwest Conference win over Linfield University and clinched their 10
th straight trip to the Northwest Conference Tournament on Saturday.
THE BASICS
Lewis & Clark 6, Linfield 3
(Lewis & Clark 9-4, 4-2 NWC)
(Linfield 4-9, 2-5 NWC)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Sophomores
Wade McDermott and
Kai Wills teamed up for a doubles match for the first time since their freshman season to earn the lone doubles point, then both went on to win their singles matches to lead the Pioneers.
McDermott and Wills defeated Haven Hepton and Cameron Paulsen 8-4 in the second doubles match to make the team score 1-1.
Senior
Miles Stone and freshman
Max Furman lost the first match of the day 8-4, to Alexander Rosenquist and Matous Young in the third doubles flight.
The freshmen duo of
Noah Sutin and
Joey Lyon went into a tiebreak in the first doubles match, falling to Seth Lee and Rogue Stone 8-7 (7-3).
Wills tied the team score at 2-all with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Stone in the second singles flight.
Sutin gave Lewis & Clark their first lead of the day with a 6-2, 6-1 win at number one singles over Lee.
Linfield tied the match again with a win at number three singles as Rosenquist defeated junior
Matt Chio in a close 7-5, 7-6 (11-9) match.
McDermott pulled the Pioneers within a point of victory by defeating Hepton 6-4, 6-4 at number five singles.
Stone clinched the dual win in the sixth singles flight. The senior defeated Acharya 6-2, 6-3 for the fifth team point of the match.
Lyon went three sets in the fourth singles match against Paulsen. The freshman earned a 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (7-2) victory.
BY THE NUMBERS
- The Pioneers finished the regular season with a 5-1 road record. Their lone road loss was at then #5 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.
- Three Pioneers have double-digit wins this season in singles play. Wills (12), McDermott (12), and Lyon (11) lead the team in singles wins.
- Wills has 24 total wins between singles and doubles play this year.
- McDermott has won a total of 23 matches, 12 singles and 11 doubles, this season.
WHO'S NEXT
Lewis & Clark will honor Stone before their final home match against Pacific on Sunday morning during a Senior Day ceremony. The match is scheduled to start at 11:00 a.m. in the L&C Tennis Dome.