Whitworth took the early lead when Joelle Staudinger edged
Whitman's
Leslie Whitten in a first-set tie-breaker and then won in two
sets. After
Whitman freshman Elly Shook won at No. 2 singles to even the team
scoring,
Whitworth's Dawn Eliassen rallied from a first-set loss to defeat
I-Chin
Lin in three sets.
The Missionaries then took control when freshmen Joanna Cutler and Alexis Kramer and sophomore Linda Shanley notched three-set victories in the remaining singles matches. In each case, Whitman players rebounded from first-set losses.
Whitman captured the only available point in doubles by winning two of three matches. Lin and Shanley won at No. 2 doubles for Whitman, while Cutler and Kramer tossed a shutout at No. 3 doubles.
Anna Beattie and Laura Bentley also gave Whitman an exhibition match victory in No. 4 doubles. Exhibition matches do not count in the team scoring.
Singles
No. 1 -- Joelle Staudinger, Whitworth, def Leslie Whitten,
Whitman, 7-6 (7-2), 6-1
No. 2 -- Elly Shook, Whitman, def Tara Bonelli, Whitworth, 7-5,
6-2
No. 3 -- Dawn Eliassen, Whitworth, def I-Chin Lin, Whitman, 2-6,
6-3, 6-2
No. 4 -- Joanna Cutler, Whitman, def Lisa Benscheidt, Whitworth,
4-6, 6-1, 6-2
No. 5 -- Alexis Kramer, Whitman, def Krista Kubiak, Whitworth,
4-6, 6-1, 6-0
No. 6 -- Lina Shanley, Whitman, def Kasey Shibao, Whitworth, 4-6,
6-4, (7-3)
Doubles
No. 1 -- Staudinger/Bensheidt, Whitworth, def Whitten/Shook,
Whitman, 8-4
No. 2 -- Lin/Shanley, Whitman, def Bonelli/Eliassen, Whitworth,
8-5
No. 3 -- Cutler/Kramer, Whitman, def Kubiak/Shibao, Whitworth,
8-0
No. 4 (exhibition) -- Anna Beattie/Laura Bentley, Whitman, def
Amy Austin/Anni Dupuis, Whitworth, 8-1.
Lin rallied for a three-set victory in her match after dropping the first set. Kramer capped off her triumph with a second-set tie-breaker victory.
Whitman also won two of three exhibition matches. Laura Bently was a winner at No. 8 singles, and she also teamed with Anna Beattie to post a victory at No. 4 doubles.
Singles:
No. 1 -- Stella Musamba, LCSC, def Leslie Whitten, Whitman, 6-1,
7-5
No. 2 -- Natasha Lloyd, LCSC, def Elly Shook, Whitman, 6-2,
6-2
No. 3 -- I-Chin Lin, Whitman, def Mi Sung Chun, LCSC, 2-6, 6-1,
7-5
No. 4 -- Brenda Volk, LCSC, def Joanna Cutler, Whitman, 6-3,
6-4
No. 5 -- Alexis Kramer, Whitman, def Hillary Johnsen, LCSC, 6-4,
7-6 (7-5)
No. 6 -- Jennifer Wright, LCSC, def Lina Shanley, Whitman, 6-1,
6-1
No. 7 (exhibition) -- Daniela Fonseca, LCSC, def Anna Beattie,
Whitman, 8-4
No. 8 (exhibition)-- Laura Bentley, Whitman, def Laura Simmons,
LCSC, 8-1
Doubles:
No. 1 -- Chun-Lloyd, LCSC, def Chook-Whitten, Whitman, 8-3
No. 2 -- Johnsen-Volk, LCSC, def Lin-Shanley, Whitman, 8-2
No. 3 -- Wright-Musamba, LCSC, def Cutler-Kramer, Whitman,
8-4
No. 4 (exhibition) -- Beattie-Bentley, Whitman, def
Fonseca-Simmons, LCSC, 8-1
Whitman benefited from two-set victories in singles from Leslie
Whitten at
No. 1, Joanne Cutler at No. 2 and Alexis Kramer at No. 5. Lina
Shanley
bounced back from a first-set tie-breaker loss to win in three
sets at No.
6 singles.
Whitten and Elly Shook lost 8-4 at No. 1 doubles, but Shanley and I-Chin Lin posted an 8-4 victory at No. 2 doubles while Cutler and Kramer stormed to an 8-0 shutout triumph at No. 3 doubles.
Whitman's Ann Beattie and Laura Bentley each won singles matches in exhibition play. Beattie and Bentley also joined forces to win an exhibition match in doubles. Exhibition matches do not count in the team scoring.
Singles
No. 1 -- Leslie Whitten, Whitman, defeated Janel Broderson, PLU,
6-3, 6-0
No. 2 -- Whitney Freed, PLU, def Elly Shook, Whitman, 6-3,
6-4
No. 3 -- Sofie Tibbling, PLU, def I-Chin Lin, Whitman, 6-3,
6-3
No. 4 -- Joanna Cutler, Whitman, def Brianne McQuaig, PLU, 6-4,
6-4
No. 5 -- Alexis Kramer, Whitman, def Kirstin Rorvik, PLU, 7-5,
6-3
No. 6 -- Lina Shanley, Whitman, def Jenn Rossow, PLU, 6-7, 6-2,
6-4
No. 7 (exhibition) -- Anna Beattie, Whitman, def Katrina Johnson,
PLU, 9-8
No. 8 (exhibition) -- Laura Bentley, Whitman, def Sarah Ofner,
PLU, 9-8
Doubles
No. 1 -- Broderson/Freed, PLU, def Whitten/Shook, Whitman,
8-4
No. 2 -- Lin/Shanley, Whitman, def Tibbling/Rorvik, PLU, 8-6
No. 3 -- Cutler/Kramer, Whitman, def Rossow/McQuaig, PLU, 8-0
No. 4 (exhibition) -- Anna Beattie/Laura Bentley, Whitman, def
Johnson/Ofner, PLU, 8-3
The triumph was Whitman's third early season victory in as many matches against Northwest Conference opponents. It also was coach Jayne McCarthy's first victory over Puget Sound in her 12 years at the helm of the Missionaries.
Whitman's Leslie Whitten claimed a hard-fought, three-set victory
at No. 1
singles, while freshman Anna Beattie won her first varsity match
in two
sets at No. 6 singles.
Whitman picked up its other individual triumph at No. 3 singles when freshman Alexis Kramer recovered from a 6-0 first-set loss, survived a second-set tie-breaker, and then won the third set decisively.
In doubles play, Whitman was bolstered by the return of one of its top players. Amy Fong, sidelined by a bad back in recent weeks, rejoined Whitten at No. 1 doubles to win 8-2.
Lina Shanley and I-Chin Lin won at No. 2 doubles, and Kramer combined with Elly Shook to win the No. 3 doubles match.
In an exhibition doubles match, Beattie and Laura Bentley were 8-2 victors.
Singles
No. 1 -- Leslie Whitten, Whitman, def Mari Hrebnar, UPS, 6-4,
4-6, 6-4
No. 2 -- Claire Lencioni, UPS, def Elly Shook, Whitman, 6-1,
7-5
No. 3 -- Mel Hiramoto, UPS, def I-Chin Lin, Whitman, 7-6 (6-2),
6-3
No. 4 -- Alexis Kramer, Whitman, def Myra Jacobs, UPS, 0-6, 7-6
(7-5), 6-1
No. 5 -- Kirsten Bounds, UPS, def Lina Shanley, Whitman, 6-1, 6-1
No. 6 -- Anna Beattie, Whitman, def Stacey Porter, UPS, 6-2,
6-2
Doubles
No. 1 -- Whitten/Amy Fong, Whitman, def Hrebnar/Lencioni, UPS,
8-2
No. 2 -- Lin/Shanley, Whitman, def Porter/Larsen, UPS, 8-2
No. 3 -- Shook/Kramer, Whitman, def Hiramoto/Bounds, UPS, 8-6
No. 4 (exhibition) -- Anna Beattie/Laura Bentley, Whitman, def
Phlagman/Jacobs, UPS, 8-2
Match Highlights: Whitman captured four of six singles
matches to
notch a 4-3 victory over Seattle University at the Bratton Tennis
Center. It was Whitman's fourth victory in as many matches
against
Northwest Conference opponents. The Missionaries are 4-1 on the
season.Whitman's Amy Fong, returning this weekend from a bad back, won her first singles match of the season in the No. 2 slot.
Alexis Kramer, a freshman, ran her season record to 5-0 in
singles play
with a victory at No. 4. Whitman also picked up victories at No.
5 singles
from Lina Shanley and by default at No. 6.
Singles
No. 1 -- Erin Weller, Seattle, def Leslie Whitten, Whitman, 6-1,
6-2
No. 2 -- Amy Fong, Whitman, def Megan Joyce, Seattle, 6-2,
6-3
No. 3 -- Denise Ayakama, Seattle, def I-Chin Lin, Whitman, 6-0,
6-1
No. 4 -- Alexis Kramer, Whitman, def Chaise Ewert, Seattle, 6-0,
6-3
No. 5 -- Lina Shanley, Whitman, def Carrie Weldon, Seattle 6-0,
6-2
No. 6 -- Whitman won by default
Doubles
No. 1 -- Weller/Joyce, Seattle, def Whitten/Amy Fong, Whitman,
8-4
No. 2 -- Ayakawa/Ewert, Seattle, def Lin/Shanley, Whitman,
8-4
No. 3 -- Whitman won by default
The Whitman women elevated their season won-loss record against
Northwest
Conference opponents to 5-0 with a 5-2 victory at Linfield
College.The Missionaries forged their victory in singles, winning three of four three-set battles and five of six matches overall. Amy Fong at No. 2 singles, Elly Shook at No. 3, and Joanna Cutler at No. 5 lost their opening sets before bouncing back to win their matches in three sets.
Whitman freshman Alexis Kramer raised her individual season record to 6-0 with a two-set victory at No. 6 singles. Senior I-Chin Lin also won in two sets at No. 4 singles.
Whitman's only loss in singles was at No. 1, where Leslie Whitten dropped a 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 decision.
Linfield captured the top two matches in doubles, but Cutler and Kramer claimed an 8-2 victory at No. 3 doubles.
Singles
No. 1 -- Courtney Woodruff, Linfield, def Leslie Whitten,
Whitman, 6-2, 2-6, 6-4
No. 2 -- Amy Fong, Whitman, def Kaci Okumoto, Linfield, 4-6, 6-3,
6-3
No. 3 -- Elly Shook, Whitman, def Alison Vaughan, Linfield, 3-6,
6-4, 6-3
No. 4 -- I-Chin Lin, Whitman, def Sara Savage, Linfield, 6-1,
6-0
No. 5 -- Joanne Cutler, Whitman, def Lyndee Cox, Linfield, 3-6,
6-2, 6-4
No. 6 -- Alexis Kramer, Whitman, def Molly Jasper, Linfield, 6-0,
6-1
Doubles
No. 1 -- Woodruff/Okumoto, Linfield, def Whitten/Amy Fong,
Whitman, 8-3
No. 2 -- Vaughan/Savage, Linfield, def Lin/Shanley, Whitman,
8-4
No. 3 -- Cutler/Kramer, Whitman, def Cox/Jasper, Linfield,
8-2
Whitman winners in singles were Elly Shook, Joanna Cutler, Alexis
Kramer
and Lina Shanley. Kramer's victory at No. 5 singles raised her
season
record to a perfect 7-0.
Whitman's Amy Fong, who lost in three sets at No. 2 singles, teamed with Leslie Whitten to win 8-0 in No. 1 doubles. Fong and Whitten are the defending conference champions in doubles play.
Also coasting to easy wins in doubles were Shook and I-Chin Lin at No. 2 and Cutler and Kramer at No. 3.
Singles
No. 1 -- Laura Ragee, Willamette, def Leslie Whitten, Whitman,
6-1, 6-3.
No. 2 -- Teresa Masumoto, Willamette, def Amy Fong, Whitman, 6-3,
2-6, 6-2
No. 3 -- Elly Shook, Whitman, def Kelli Hatfield, Willamette,
6-0, 6-3
No. 4 -- Joanna Cutler, Whitman, def Alison Meier, Willamette,
6-2, 6-2
No. 5 -- Alexis Kramer, Whitman, def Renee Purdy, Willamette,
6-2, 6-2
No. 6 -- Lina Shanley, Whitman, def Jesse Logan, Willamette, 6-2,
6-0
Doubles
No. 1 -- Whitten/Amy Fong, Whitman, def Ragee/Masumoto,
Willamette, 8-0
No. 2 -- Lin/Shook, Whitman, def Meier/Purdy, Willamette, 8-1
No. 3 -- Cutler/Kramer, Whitman, def Hara/Rowland, Willamette,
8-2
Freshmen Joanna Cutler and Alexis Kramer won singles matches for Whitman and then combined to score a victory at No. 3 doubles. Leslie Whitten and Amy Fong also notched a victory at No. 1 doubles for the Missionaries.
"It was a close match, very close," Whitman coach Jayne McCarthy said. "A couple of the individual matches could have gone either way."
Fong, who continues to struggle with a sore back, dropped a 6-4, 7-6 (9-7) decision at No. 2 singles. "There is no question that Amy could have won that match, had she been playing at full strength," McCarthy said.
Elly Shook, another of Whitman's freshmen, lost in three sets at No. 3 singles.
Singles
No. 1 -- Vanessa Zaijfen, UCSC, def Leslie Whitten, Whitman, 6-1,
6-1.
No. 2 -- Jill Brogan, UCSC, def Amy Fong, Whitman, 6-4, 7-6
(9-7)
No. 3 -- Melissa Buckley, UCSC, def Elly Shook, Whitman, 6-4,
3-6, 6-1
No. 4 -- Allison Lai, UCSC, def I-Chin Lin, Whitman, 6-1, 6-0
No. 5 -- Joanna Cutler, Whitman, def Brenda Farnum, UCSC, 7-6
(7-2), 6-4
No. 6 -- Alexis Kramer, Whitman, def Cynthia Rogers, UCSC, 7-5,
6-3
Doubles
No. 1 -- Whitten/Amy Fong, Whitman, def Zaijfen/Brogan, UCSC,
8-5
No. 2 -- Rogers/Lai, UCSC, def Lin/Shook, Whitman, 8-3
No. 3 -- Cutler/Kramer, Whitman, def Farnum/Lee Miller, UCSC,
8-5
The Missionaries opened the day by sweeping the three doubles matches to win the one team point available in doubles. The two teams then split the six singles matches to give Whitman its narrow victory.
The last match to finish was No. 2 singles, where Whitman's Leslie Whitten rallied from a first-set loss to win in three. With the team scored tied at 3-3 and the third set deadlocked at 5-5, Whitten pulled out the last two games to keep the Missionaries undefeated in conference action.
Other winners for Whitman in singles were freshmen Joanna Cutler at No. 5 and Alexis Kramer at No. 6. Kramer elevated her season record to a perfect 9-0.
The other three singles matches were close. Whitman's Amy Fong at No. 1 and I-Chin Lin at No. 4 lost in three sets. Elly Shook at No. 3 singles lost her first game 6-4 before losing the second game 7-6 on a 10-8 tiebreaker.
Singles
No. 1 -- Joelle Staudinger, Whitworth, def Amy Fong, Whitman,
2-6, 6-1, 6-4.
No. 2 -- Leslie Whitten, Whitman, def Dawn Eliassen, Whitworth,
4-6, 6-0, 7-5
No. 3 -- Tara Bonelli, Whitworth, def Elly Shook, Whitman, 6-4,
7-6 (10-8)
No. 4 -- Kasey Schibao, Whitworth, def I-Chin Lin, Whitman, 6-4,
0-6, 7-5
No. 5 -- Joanna Cutler, Whitman, def Lisa Benscheidt, Whitworth,
6-2, 6-4
No. 6 -- Alexis Kramer, Whitman, def Amy Austin, Whitworth, 6-2,
6-0
Doubles
No. 1 -- Whitten/Amy Fong, Whitman, def Staudinger/Eliassen,
Whitworth,
8-6
No. 2 -- Lin/Lina Shanley, Whitman, def Bonelli/Benscheidt,
Whitworth,
8-2
No. 3 -- Cutler/Kramer, Whitman, def Schibao/Austin, Whitworth,
8-6
Whitman won two of three matches in doubles to pick up the one team point available from that portion of the competition. Leslie Whitten and Amy Fong dropped a close 8-6 decision at No. 1 doubles, but I-Chin Lin and Elly Shook in the No. 2 slot and Joanna Cutler and Alexis Kramer at No. 3 scored more decisive victories in their matches.
Fong, one of Whitman's top players, did not play in singles because of ongoing back problems, but the Missionaries nontheless won four of the six matches. Whitten was a winner at No. 1 singles, as were Lin at No. 3, Cutler at No. 4 and Lina Shanley at No. 6.
Kramer, a freshman who started the season with nine straight victories in singles, lost for the first time in a three-set battle at No. 6. Kramer lost the first set on a tie-breaker.
Singles
No. 1 -- Leslie Whitten, Whitman, def Erin Weller, Seattle, 6-2,
6-3
No. 2 -- Denise Ayakawa, Seattle, def Elly Shook, Whitman, 6-2,
6-0
No. 3 -- I-Chin Lin, Whitman, def Trisha Lee, Seattle, 6-1,
6-3
No. 4 -- Joanna Cutler, Whitman, def Chaise Ewert, Seattle, 6-0,
6-2
No. 5 -- Megan Joyce, Seattle, def Alexis Kramer, Whitman, 7-6
(7-5), 2-6, 6-2
No. 6 -- Lina Shanley, Whitman, def Carrie Weldon, Seattle 6-0,
6-2
Doubles
No. 1 -- Weller/Ayaka, Seattle, def Whitten/Amy Fong, Whitman,
8-6
No. 2 -- Lin/Shook, Whitman, def Joyce/Ewert, Seattle, 8-3
No. 3 -- Cutler/Kramer, Whitman, def Lee-Weldon, Seattle, 8-4
The Missionaries won the top two matches in doubles to tally the first team point. Leslie Whitten and Amy Fong in the No. 1 match and I-Chin Lin and Elly Shook at No. 2 gave Whitman its wins in doubles.
Fong, who normally plays at either No. 1 and No. 2 singles, did not play at all because of concerns about lingering back problems. Coach Jayne McCarthy is hopeful that Fong can continue to play on a part-time basis without aggravating the injury prior to the conference championships.
Whitman's only winners in singles against Puget Sound were Lin at No. 3 and Lina Shanley at No. 6. Joanna Cutler lost in three sets at No. 4 singles.
Singles
No. 1 -- Mari Hrebnar, UPS, def Leslie Whitten, Whitman, def Mari
Hrebnar, UPS, 6-0, 6-0
No. 2 -- Claire Lencioni, UPS, def Elly Shook, Whitman, 6-0,
6-4
No. 3 -- I-Chin Lin, Whitman, def Myra Jacobs, UPS, 6-1, 6-1
No. 4 -- Mel Hiramoto, UPS, def Joanna Cutler, Whitman, 6-3, 6-7
(7-5), 6-1
No. 5 -- Kirsten Bounds, UPS, def Alexis Kramer, Whitman, 6-0,
6-4
No. 6 -- Lina Shanley, Whitman, def Sarah Larson, UPS, 6-3,
6-0
Doubles
No. 1 -- Whitten/Amy Fong, Whitman, def Hrebnar/Lencioni, UPS,
8-2
No. 2 -- Lin/Shook, Whitman, def Lisa Porter/Jacobs, UPS, 8-5
No. 3 -- Bounds/Hiramoto, UPS, Shook/Kramer, Whitman, 8-4
Shook won her match in two sets, as did teammates Leslie Whitten at No. 2, Joanna Cutler at No. 3, and Laura Bentley at No. 6. Whitman also won two of three matches in doubles. Whitten and Amy Fong were 8-0 winners at No. 1 doubles. Cutler and Alexis Kramer won 8-2 at No. 3 doubles.
Singles
No. 1 -- Elly Shook, Whitman, def Erin Drayer, Pacific, 6-3,
6-4
No. 2 -- Leslie Whitten, Whitman, def Jenni Nakashima, Pacific,
7-5, 6-0
No. 3 -- Joanna Cutler, Whitman, def Michele Ramage, Pacific,
6-3, 7-5
No. 4 -- KeKy Asuncion, Pacific, def Alexis Kramer, Whitman, 6-3,
4-6, 6-4
No. 5 -- Kim Callaway, Pacific, def Anna Beattie, Whitman, 6-3,
6-3
No. 6 -- Laura Bentley, Whitman, def Kami Hapward, Pacific, 6-1,
6-3
Doubles
No. 1 -- Whitten/Amy Fong, Whitman, def Drayer/Nakashima,
Pacific, 8-0
No. 2 -- Ramage/Asuncion, Pacific, def I-Chin Lin/Lina Shanley,
Whitman, 8-5
No. 3 -- Cutler/Kramer, Whitman, def Emily Wodjenski, Pacific,
8-2
Whitman swept the three doubles matches, with I-Chin Lin and Lina Shanley winning at No. 2 and Anna Beattie and Laura Bentley taking the No. 3 match.
Shanley also won her match at No. 6 singles, and Alexis Kramer picked up a victory at No. 5 singles.
Singles
No. 1 -- Leslie Whitten, Whitman, def Wendy Mueller, GFU, 6-1,
6-2
No. 2 -- Amy Fong, Whitman, def Amy Gillett, GFU, 6-4, 6-2
No. 3 -- Shawna Hughes, GFU, def I-Chin Lin, Whitman, 6-4, 7-6
(8-6)
No. 4 -- Sarah Johnson, GFU, def Joanna Cutler, Whitman, 6-1,
6-1
No. 5 -- Alexis Kramer, Whitman, def Kim Reimer, GFU, 8-2
No. 6 -- Lina Shanley, Whitman, def Rachel McComb, GFU, 9-7
Doubles
No. 1 -- Whitten/Fong, Whitman, def Mueller/Johnson, GFU, 8-0
No. 2 -- Lin/Shanley, Whitman, def Gillett/Reimer, GFU, 8-3
No. 3 -- Anna Beattie/Laura Bentley, Whitman, def Hughes/McComb,
GFU,
8-5
Whitman winners in singles play were Leslie Whitten, Amy Fong, Elly Shook, I-Chin Lin, Joanne Cutler and Alexis Kramer.
Winning doubles matches were Whitten and Fong at No. 1 and Cutler and Kramer at No. 3. Lina Shanley teamed with Lin to take the No. 2 doubles match. Anna Beattie and Laura Bentely also posted a doubles victory an an exhibition match.
Singles
No. 1 -- Leslie Whitten, Whitman, def Marcela Duarte, LC, 7-6
(7-4), 6-2
No. 2 -- Amy Fong, Whitman, def Laurie Malkin, LC, 6-2, 6-0
No. 3 -- Elly Shook, Whitman, def Kathryn Figenshau, LC, 6-0.
6-2
No. 4 -- I-Chin Lin, Whitman, def Joy Leising, LC, 6-4, 2-6,
6-3
No. 5 -- Joanna Cutler, Whitman, def Laura Provinsino, LC, 6-2,
6-1
No. 6 -- Alexis Kramer, Whitman, def Megan Roseman, LC, 6-2,
6-0
Doubles
No. 1 -- Whitten/Fong, Whitman, def Malkin/Figenshau, LC, 8-3
No. 2 -- Lin/Lina Shanley, Whitman, def Duarte/Leising, LC,
8-6
No. 3 -- Cutler/Kramer, Whitman, def Provinzino/Roseman, LC,
8-2
No. 4 (exhibition) -- Anna Beattie/Laura Bentley, Whitman, def
Young/Mollie McKiernen,
LC, 8-6
Whitman and Pacific Lutheran were tied for the top spot with 19 points each. Puget Sound was close behind with 18 points. Seattle had 16 points, Linfield 14, Lewis & Clark 13, Whitworth 11, Willamette 10, George Fox 6 and Pacific 1.
Fong and Whitten won both of their matches in two sets. Whitten notched her second victory after winning the first set on a tiebreaker. Shook, a freshman, rallied to win her second match in three sets after losing the first set on a tiebreaker.
In the second singles flight, I-Chin Lin won a pair of matches in straight sets to lead Whitman. Freshman Alexis Kramer won her first match before losing in three sets in her next outing. Joanna Cutler lost her first match to drop into the consolation bracket, where she won her next match.
The conference championships continue through Sunday. The winning team advances to the NAIA national championships. Winners of the top singles flight and doubles flight also advance to nationals, if they are not members of the winning team.
Fong and Whitten, seeded No. 2 in the doubles bracket, won both matches by identical 6-3, 6-2 scores, defeating duos from Whitworth and Lewis & Clark.
The second day ended with the University of Puget Sound in first place with 32 team points. Whitman was second with 29 points and Pacific Lutheran third with 26 points. Linfield, Seattle, Whitworth and Willamette were in a four-way tie for third place with 22 points each. Lewis & Clark had 14 points, George Fox six points and Pacific one point.
In other doubles action Saturday, Whitman's I-Chin Lin and Lina Shanley won their first match in three sets before dropping their second match to fall from the competition.
Joanna Cutler and Alexis Kramer, a pair of Missionary freshmen, lost their first match in three sets to slip into the consolation bracket. They won their first consolation match before losing their second to end their run.
Whitman's fortunes in the singles competition took a turn for the worse Saturday. Fong, Whitten and freshman Elly Shook, each of whom won two matches Friday in the championship flight, lost their first matches Saturday.
Whitten put up the best fight prior to elimination, losing in three sets. She lost the first and third sets on 11-9 and 7-4 tie-breakers. Fong fell 6-4, 7-5 in her match.
In the second singles flight, Lin was eliminated Saturday after losing her first match of the day. She had won two straight on Friday.
Cutler stayed alive Saturday in the consolation bracket of the second singles flight, winning her only match of the day. On Friday, Cutler lost her opening round match and then won her first contest in the consolation round.
The championships conclude Sunday. The school with the most team points wins the conference title and advances to the NAIA national championships. The winners of the doubles and championship singles flights also advance to nationals, if they are not members of the winning team.
Whitman's Amy Fong and Leslie Whitten successfully defended their Northwest Conference doubles title Sunday, winning two more matches to advance to the NAIA national championships for a second straight year.
The Missionary sophomores rallied in Sunday's semifinals, defeating Linfield's Kaci Okumoto and Courtney Woodruff 1-6, 7-5, 6-4. In Sunday's title match, Fong and Whitten downed Puget Sound's Mari Hrebenar and Claire Lencioni 6-2, 7-6 (7-4).
The only other Missionary still alive Sunday was freshman Joanna Cutler, who lost in the consolation championship match of the second singles flight. Cutler lost to Kelcy Asuncion of Pacific 6-1, 6-3.
Whitman finished with 34 team points to place second in the 10-team tournament. Puget Sound took the team title with 46 points, while Pacific Lutheran finished third with 27 points.
Both Fong and Whitten were named to the eight-woman All-Northwest Conference team.
Meanwhile, Whitman's Leslie Whitten was hit with an unlucky draw and was eliminated in the first round by one of the tournament's top-ranked players.
Fong, who dispatched her first-round opponent with relative ease Monday morning, then played her second match at 1 p.m. as the temperature and humidity soared.
Fong started strongly against Sian Olszewski of Union College (Schenectady, N.Y.) before letting two set points slip away in the first set. Olszewski, who is from Zimbabwe, finally won the first set 7-6 on an 8-6 tie-breaker. Fong also held leads of 4-0 and 6-3 in the tie-breaker before Olszewski mounted a final comeback.
Olszewski then won the second set easily, 6-1, to take the match.
"Amy and her opponent were evenly matched, but the weather just overwhelmed Amy," Whitman coach Jayne McCarthy said. "She was very, very warm by the time her second match was over. She isn't used to that type of heat, and it was very hard on her."
Earlier in the day, Fong breezed past Shanon Crook of Brescia College (Owensboro, Kentucky) by scores of 6-2, 6-1.
Whitten's first-round opponent Monday was Cecilia Hincapie of Auburn University-Montgomery. Hincapie, who is seeded No. 6 in the singles bracket, claimed a 6-0, 6-0 victory. Hincapie and her doubles partner, Ximena Rodriguez, are seeded No. 2 in the doubles competition, which gets underway Tuesday.
Both Hincapie and Rodriguez are from Manizales, Columbia. Auburn-Montgomery, which ended the first day of competition in a three-way tie for first-place in the team scoring, is one of several schools at the tournament whose rosters are dominated by foreign-born players.
Fong and Whitten, who qualified for the national tournament by winning their second straight Northwest Conference doubles titles last month, will play their first-round doubles match Tuesday against Amber Blaker and Kelly Brown of Berry College (Mount Berry, Georgia).
If Fong and Whitten win their first-round doubles match, they will likely play Miang Liew and Annalisa Woolcock of St. Thomas University (Miami, Florida) in the second round. Liew and Woolcock are seeded No. 8 in the doubles bracket.
A year ago at the NAIA national championships, Whitman's Amy Fong and Leslie Whitten found themselves playing one of the top-seeded teams in the opening round of the doubles competition. Unable to upset the seventh-ranked duo in a field of 128 doubles teams, Fong and Whitten made a quick exit from the tournament.
This year, the Missionary pair fared much better in the doubles draw and faced an unranked team in the first round when doubles play started Tuesday in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Fong and Whitten made the most of their opportunity, rolling to a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Amber Blaker and Kelly Brown of Berry College (Mount Berry, Georgia).
"Both Leslie and Amy were pleased with how they played today," Whitman tennis coach Jayne McCarthy said. "We held serve every time, and we're pleased to make it past the first round in a tournament with this much talent."
Temperatures remained in the mid-90s Tuesday, but Fong and Whitten played their doubles match at one of the sites that is "somewhat shaded by trees," McCarthy said. "It wasn't quite as hot as where Amy and Leslie played their singles matches on Monday. We didn't hear about any problems in the women's matches Monday, but seven matches in the men's tournament ended when one of the players couldn't continue in the heat and high humidity. Two of men had to be taken to the hospital."
Whitten and Fong will face much tougher competition in Wednesday's second round. They will play Miang Liew and Annalisa Woolcock of St. Thomas University (Miami, Florida), the No. 8 seeds in the doubles bracket. "I assume that team plays at a level above us, but anything can happen on the court," McCarthy said. "Maybe one of their women will be off her game or not feeling well, and both of our women will play at the top of their games."
Whitten and Fong will play their second-round match at 11 a.m. Wednesday. If they manage an upset, they will play a third-round match later in the day against an unseeded opponent.
Whitman's Leslie Whitten and Amy Fong were eliminated from the NAIA National Tennis Championships Wednesday when they dropped a second-round doubles match to one of the top-ranked teams in the tournament. The Missionary duo lost 6-2, 6-2 to Miang Liew and Annalisa Woolcock of St. Thomas University in Miami, Florida. Liew and Woolcock were seeded No. 8 in the 128-team doubles bracket.
"I thought Amy and Leslie played reasonably well," Whitman coach Jayne McCarthy said. "The other team was very strong and simply played better. The match wasn't a walkover, though. Many of the games were long, and we had our chances at times. It was a better match than the final scores indicate."
McCarthy said Fong and Whitten committed too many errors to keep pace with their opponents. "Had we played a really strong match, the scores and the match could have been much closer," she said. "They were not that much better than we were."