Box Score FOREST GROVE, Ore. — Lewis & Clark College women's tennis opened its fall schedule with a strong showing at the Pacific University 5-Way Tournament, held Saturday and Sunday. All eight Pioneers who competed earned at least one victory across singles and doubles play.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The five Northwest Conference Willamette Valley teams met for a Billie Jean King Cup-style format tournament in preparation for this weekend's ITA Regional Championship. Teams were split into two flights, red and black, competing in best-of-three-rubber ties featuring two singles and one doubles match.
RED FLIGHT
Sophomores
Taylor Stadjuhar and
Anna English collected the Pioneers' first doubles win of the weekend, edging George Fox's Juhree Kizziar and Nicole Schnurbusch 7-6 (4) in the opening round. English followed with a 6-1, 6-3 singles victory over Schnurbusch, while Stadjuhar dropped her match against Kizziar in straight sets.
The pair advanced to face Pacific's Stella Nishimura and Chloe Takahashi in the quarterfinals, falling 6-0 in doubles and in straight sets in singles.
In the same flight, senior
Susanna Anand and junior
Charlotte Makoni reunited after playing as the Pioneers' top doubles team last season. They opened with a 6-4 doubles win against Pacific's Tiara Yeung and Henleigh Elder, and Anand added a commanding 6-1, 6-1 singles win over Yeung.
Anand carried her momentum into the semifinals with a 6-4, 6-1 win over George Fox's Riley Bobkiewicz. The pair, however, fell 6-4 in doubles to Bobkiewicz and partner Sophie Denham. Makoni battled but dropped both of her singles matches, including a 6-3, 6-3 loss to Denham.
BLACK FLIGHT
Junior
Emma Loucks and first-year
Alex Mignogna opened with a 6-1 doubles win over Willamette in the quarterfinals before each added straight-set singles victories. Loucks defeated Marie Tarrab 6-3, 6-1, while Mignogna, in her collegiate debut, topped Grace O'Steen 6-1, 6-3.
Their run ended in the semifinals against Pacific's eventual champions, Mia Yamaguchi and Brooke Curtis, with the Pioneers dropping all three matches.
Sophomores Madison Vianzon and
Elle Garcia also impressed, starting with a 6-3 doubles victory over Willamette's Kyrsten Smith and Alicia Sola in the quarters. Vianzon followed with a 6-3, 6-4 singles win, and Garcia added a 6-2, 6-2 triumph.
Both pushed their semifinal matches deep, with Vianzon dropping a second-set tiebreak 7-6 and Garcia falling in a third-set super tiebreak after forcing a second-set breaker.
WHAT'S NEXT
Lewis & Clark continues its fall slate this weekend at the ITA Northwest Regional Championship, hosted by George Fox, Friday through Sunday.
