Returning to competitive tennis Friday and Saturday at the Boise State Invitational, Whitman senior Geoff Mayes served notice that he might wreak some havoc next spring when the Northwest Conference regular season begins.
Mayes, who took a break from tennis during his sophomore and junior years at Whitman, won his first three singles matches in last weekend's tournament, which was stocked primarily with players from NCAA Division I schools.
"I think Geoff surprised a lot of people, mostly because we're talking about a guy who hasn't played competitive tennis for a few years," Whitman coach Jeff Northam said. "Geoff has the talent to tbe one of the best NCAA Division III players in the country, and possibly the best player in our conference, but to see him come back so quickly against Division I players was a real treat."
Mayes opened with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Boise State's Jonny Birokman, then disposed of Montana State's Kris Hauck in the second round. By slipping past Trevor Ferguson, the University of Utah's No. 2 player, in the third round by scores of 7-6, 7-6, Mayes advanced to the round of eight in the 64-player draw.
With a sore elbow limiting his serve, Mayes lost in the quarterfinals to Montana State's No. 1 player, B.J. Hauck, by scores of 6-2, 6-3.
Mayes also team with sophomore Tim Mullin to play in the doubles bracket, although the twosome lost in the first round to a team from Montana State, the No. 3 doubles seed in the tournament. "Geoff and Tim were definitely competitive in that match," Northam said. "They lost 8-6, but they the lead twice earlier in the match. They had some chances to put that match away>"
Nick Dupuis, another Whitman sophomore, also had a nice run in singles play, winning his first two matches. Dupuis defeated Joe Writer, the No. 2 player at Albertson College, 6-3, 6-2 in the first round, and then downed Wesley Keister, unattached, 7-5, 6-2 in the second round. In round three, Dupuis dropped a 6-1, 6-1 decision to Boise State's Ronald Rugimbara, who won the tournament last year.
"Even though his draw wasn't as difficult as what Geoff Mayes faced, Nick beat some good players," Northam said. "He has improved a lot since last season."
Tim Mullin and two more sophomores, Rick Smith and Richard Koelsch, also competed in the singles bracket but were unable to win either of their first two matches.
In doubles play, Dupuis and Smith opened with a 9-8 victory over Montana State's Kris Hauck and Mark Wilson. They lost 8-5 in the second round.
Mayes and Mullin also competed in the doubles bracket, losing 8-6 in the first round to a team from Montana State.
Geoff Mayes --
Defeated Jonny Birokman, Boise State, 6-1, 6-1
Defeated Kris Hauck, Montana State, 6-3, 6-3
Defeated Trevor Ferguson, University of Utah, 7-6, 7-6
Defeated by B.J. Hauck, Boise State, 6-2, 6-3.
Nick Dupuis --
Defeated Joe Writer, Albertson, 6-3, 6-2
Defeated Wesley Keister, unattached, 7-5, 6-3
Defeated by Ronald Rugimbama, Boise State, 6-1, 6-1.
Tim Mullin --
Defeated by Chris Tokar, Montana State, 6-2, 6-0
Defeated by Joaf Oliviera, Lewis-Clark State, 6-3, 6-4.
Rick Smith --
Defeated by Sasha Bausovoc, Lewis-Clark State, 6-1, 6-1
Defeated by Joaf Oliviera, Lewis-Clark State, 6-2, 6-0.
Richard Koelsch --
Defeated by Vinichiuf Viera, Lewis-Clark State, 6-0, 6-0
Won by default over Ryan Eide, unattached
Defeated by Gabe Coren, Boise State, 6-3, 6-2.
Geoff Mayes / Tim Mullin --
Defeated by Mazer-Tokar, Montana State, 8-6.
Nick Dupuis / Rick Smith --
Defeated K. Hauck-Mark Wilson, Montana State, 9-8
Defeated by Coren-Kuharski, Boise State, 8-5.
Geoff Mayes, Tim Mullin and Nick Dupuis gave the men's tennis team a strong showing in the Whitman Intercollegiate tennis tournament, which ran Friday through Sunday, Sept. 24-26.
Mayes, a senior from Cascade High School in Leavenworth, Wash., advanced to the semifinals of the men's singles bracket before losing to the tournament's No. 1-seeded player, Dermot O'Grady of Lewis-Clark State College (LCSC).
Dupuis and Mullin, both sophomores, made it to the quarterfinals before losing to highly-ranked players.
"Overall, it was a great tournament," Whitman men's coach Jeff Northam said. "The draws almost doubled from last year and the talent level was very deep. Placing three players in the final eight shows Whitman has a much deeper team than most people expected."
Whitman, one of the top teams in the Northwest Conference last year, lost six of its top eight players to graduation last spring.
Mayes, the tournament's No. 3 seed, lost 6-1, 6-1 in his Sunday semifinal showdown with O'Grady. Fatigue and muscle cramps contributed to the loss, Northam noted. "After playing two hard singles matches and two doubles matches on Saturday, Geoff was pretty well spent by Sunday. He mentioned Saturday night that he was cramping each time he moved."
Dupuis (Richland WA, Richland HS) won two matches Saturday and benefited from another player's default to make the quarterfinals, where he also lost to O'Grady, 6-2, 6-1.
"Dupuis had a good tournament," Northam said. "He was the only unseeded player in the final eight. He made a commitment to improving his game over the summer and it's paying off. He's now won several matches in our last two tournaments."
Mullin (Salem OR, Sprague HS), the tournament's No. 7 seed, knocked off two LCSC players, including No. 11 Marcus Kastel, before losing 6-2, 7-5 in the quarterfinals to Willamette University's Eduardo Kohlberg, the No. 2 seed.
"Kohlberg is a huge talent and a member of the Bolivian Davis Cup team, but Mullin had his chances in the second set," Northam said. "Tim was serving for that set at 5-4 and played a tight game. He ended up losing the game, which probably cost him the match."
"Tim still had a great tournament," Northam added. "He probably had the hardest draw of any of the seeded-players, and he beat two very good LCSC players. Tim is stroking the ball very well."
In the men's doubles competition, Mayes and Mullin (No. 4 seeds) advanced to the semifinals before losing to the tournament's No. 2-seeded team, LCSC's Joao Oliviera and Vinicius Vierra. "Geoff and Tim had a good doubles tourney, considering this was only the second time they have played together," Northam said. "If Geoff had been healthy, I think they had a good shot of winning their semifinal match."
Other Whitman players who won first-round singles matches were sophomores Owen Bargreen (Everett WA, Everett HS) and Rick Smith (Bellevue WA, Bellevue HS). Bargreen beat LCSC's Joe Johnson 7-6, 6-1, while Smith downed Matt Hottman of Linfield College 7-5, 6-3.
Geoff Mayes and Tim Mullin, the top players from the Whitman men's tennis team, held their own against some of the best NCAA Division III players in the western United States during an annual fall tournament, which was held Friday through Sunday, Oct. 8-10, in Claremont, Calif.
In the singles bracket, Mayes drew a first-round bye after being seeded among the players given equal ranking from No. 8 to No. 16. Mayes then defeated Jesse Medvene-Collins of the University of Redlands 6-4, 6-0, before losing in the round of 16 to Danny Kim of the University of California-Santa Cruz 6-2, 6-2. "Danny won the regional tournament two years ago and is a big-time player," Whitman men's coach Jeff Northam said.
Mullin won his first-round singles match, beating John O'Steen of Occidental College 6-0, 6-1, but then lost in the round of 32 to the tournament's No. 7 seed, Nick Cunningham of UC-Santa Cruz, 7-5, 6-4. "Tim played very well and had a set point against Nick's serve but couldn't convert," Northam said. "Tim then dropped into the consolation bracket and he ended up winning it."
Mullin won three straight matches to capture the consolation bracket title. First, he rallied to beat Cory Moderhak of the University of California-San Diego 6-7, 6-1, 6-2. Next, he rolled over Pomona's No. 3 player, Dylan Nachand, 6-0, 6-0. Finally, Mullin downed Medvene-Collins 6-2, 6-2.
In doubles, Mayes and Mullin received a bye into the round of 16, where they defeated a team from the University of Redlands, Chris Newsom and Chad Smith, 7-6, 3-6, 7-5. They then lost in the round of eight to the tournament's No. 1 doubles seed, a team from UC-Santa Cruz, 6-1, 6-2.
"It was a great event for us," Northam said. "In singles, I expect Geoff to be ranked in the 16 and Tim in the top 25 in the region. In doubles, they could be ranked in the top 10."
The regional tournament was the last competition of the fall semester for Whitman. The Missionaries will begin their regular spring season in February.
The outcome was somewhat predictable when the Whitman men's tennis team opened its dual match season against NCAA Div. I Gonzaga University Saturday in the Bratton Tennis Center. The Bulldogs made a clean sweep of the singles and doubles matches, but the Missionaries made a good showing in several cases.
Sophomore Tim Mullin in No. 1 singles and senior Geoff Mayes in No. 2 singles lost first-set tie-breakers. Senior Eric Bartee split his first two sets in No. 3 singles before dropping the third set 6-4. Sophomore Owen Bargreen also lost in three sets in No. 5 singles, winning the second set on a tie-breaker after losing the opener 7-5.
Whitman duos in No. 1 doubles and No. 2 doubles lost close matches by 8-6 scores. Bartee and Mullin played in the No. 1 match, while Mayes teamed with Dupuis in the No. 2 match.
Singles
No. 1 -- Ken Bang (GZ) def. Tim Mullin: 7-6, 6-0
No. 2 -- Burak Berksoy (GZ) def. Geoff Mayes: 7-6, 6-1
No. 3 -- Jeff Shin (GZ) def. Eric Bartee: 6-3, 2-6, 6-4
No. 4 -- Joe Zavaglia (GZ) def. Nick Dupuis: 6-3, 6-2
No. 5 -- Joel Wilkie (GZ) def. Owen Bargreen: 7-5, 6-7, 6-0
No. 6 -- Brian McConnell (GZ) def. Rick Smith: 6-1, 6-0
Doubles
No. 1 -- Bang/Shin (GZ) def. Bartee/Mullin: 8-6
No. 2 -- Berksoy/Zavaglia (GZ) def. Mayes/Dupuis: 8-6
No. 3 -- McConnell/Wilkie (GZ) def. Bargreen/Smith: 8-2
Lewis-Clark State College and its roster of players from around the world handed the Whitman men a 7-0 loss Sunday as the Missionaries opened their spring schedule in Lewiston, Idaho.
Sending players from Brazil, Australia, Sweden and Croatia onto the courts, LCSC swept all six singles matches, losing just one set in the process, and won two of the three doubles matches.
"LCSC is tough," Whitman Jeff Northam said. "They are currently No. 11 in the NAIA, which is a great ranking."
In No. 1 singles, Whitman's Tim Mullin came close to knocking off his opponent, Vinicicius Vieira of Brazil. After the two players split the first two sets on identical 6-2 scores, Vieira won the third and deciding set on a tie-breaker.
"Tim played very well," Northam said. "He actually was ahead 4-1 in the third set, but he couldn't hold on. It was the best I have seen Tim play." Last season, Vieira played and beat the No. 2-ranked player in NCAA Div. III.
Whitman's Geoff Mayes nearly forced a third set in the No. 2 singles match. Mayes lost his second set 7-5, however.
LCSC won two of three doubles matches to take the single team point for doubles. Whitman's Owen Bargreen and Rick Smith prevented a complete shutout, winning the No. 3 doubles match 8-6 against two players from Sri Lanka and Brazil.
Singles
No. 1 -- Vinicius Vieira (LCSC) def. Tim Mullin: 6-2, 2-6, 7-6
Doubles
No. 1 -- Vieira-O'Grady (LCSC) def. Bartee-Mullin: 8-4
Continuing to prep for the Northwest Conference season by playing top-flight competition, the men's team dropped a 7-0 decision Friday morning at Boise State University, which is ranked No. 29 in the NCAA Div. I national ranks.
Tim Mullin and Eric Bartee nearly pulled off a huge upset for Whitman in the No. 1 doubles match. They dropped a 9-8 decision, losing 7-3 on the tie-breaker, to Boise State's Marcus Berntson (Sweden) and Ronald Rugimbana (Tanzania). Berntson and Rugimbana have not "lost a double match all year, and they have played a half dozen top 20 teams in the nation," Whitman coach Jeff Northam said.
Geoff Mayes got off to good start for Whitman in the No. 1 singles match, losing 6-4 to Leif Meineke of Frankfurt, Germany. Meineke, who began the season ranked No. 21 nationally in NCAA Div. I, then swept the second set 6-0. "Geoff played a great match," Northam said. "Unfortunately, with his arm hurting, Geoff was unable to serve effectively, and that's his big weapon."
Whitman's Owen Bargreen also won several games in the No. 5 singles match, losing 6-3, 6-4.
Boise State recently lost a 4-3 decision to Southern Methodist University, the No. 7- ranked team in the NCAA Div. I. The Boise State roster also includes athletes from Australia and South Africa.
Singles
No. 1 -- Leif Meineke (BSU) def. Geoff Mayes: 6-4, 6-0
Doubles
No. 1 -- Berntson-Rugimbana (BSU) def. Bartee-Mullin: 9-8 (7-3)
Playing their second match of the day, the Whitman men won four of five matches in singles and two of three in doubles to post their first victory of the season, a 5-1 triumph Friday evening over Albertson College, an NAIA Div. I school. The match was played at the Rivercity Racket Club in Nampa, Idaho.
Whitman winners in singles were Tim Mullin, Nick Dupuis, Owen Bargreen and Rick Smith. After losing his first set in No. 4 singles and falling behind in set two, Dupuis elevated his game and rallied for a three-set victory. Playing No. 6 singles, Smith reeled off 20 aces on his service game.
Geoff Mayes absorbed the only Missionary loss in No. 1 singles. Mayes lost a closely contested 7-5, 7-6 decision to Dan Lemmon.
Mullin teamed with Eric Bartee to capture a 9-8 thriller in No. 1 doubles. Mayes and Dupuis lost by the same score in No. 2 doubles, while Bargreen and Smith took an 8-3 vcitory in No. 3 doubles.
Singles
No. 1 -- Dan Lemmon (AC) def. Geoff Mayes: 7-5, 7-6
Doubles
No. 1 -- Bartee-Mullin (WN) def. Lemmon-Writer: 9-8
The Whitman men played their third NCAA Div. I foe of the young season when they faced the University of Montana Saturday, and the Missionaries met with the same fate -- a 7-0 shutout that nonetheless included a number of solid Missionary efforts. The match was played at Boise State University.
Whitman's Nick Dupuis came closest to victory in the No. 4 singles match. Dupuis, a sophomore, lost a 7-5 first set to Montana senior Justin Lindbloom and then dropped the second set on a 7-4 tie-breaker.
In No. 1 singles, sophomore Tim Mullin lost 6-3, 6-4 to another Montana senior, David Froschauer, an All-Big Sky Conference player last season. Owen Bargreen, a third Missionary sophomore, dropped his No. 5 singles match by the same 6-3, 6-4 score.
As they did in Friday's match at Boise State, Tim Mullin and Eric Bartee nearly pulled off an upset in the No. 1 doubles match. Mullin and Bartee dropped a 9-8 decision, losing a 7-5 tie-breaker, to Froschauer and Tomislav Sokolic of Croatia. "Eric and Tim actually had a match point against Montana's serves, but the couldn't convert," Whitman coach Jeff Northam said.
Singles
No. 1 - David Froschauer (UM) def. Tim Mullin: 6-3, 6-4Doubles
No. 1 - Froschauer-Sokolic (UM) def. Bartee-Mullin: 9-8 (7-5)Tim Mullin and Eric Bartee continued to play great tennis in No. 1 doubles, knocking off Utah State's top doubles team 9-8 on a 7-3 tie-breaker. It was the only match Whitman could take from its NCAA Div. I opponent, however, as Utah State breezed to a 7-0 victory Sunday afternoon in matches played at Boise State University.
Mullin and Bartee "actually dominated most of the match, and they served for the match at 7-5," Whitman coach Jeff Northam said. "They had six match points but finally lost the game on Tim's serve." The Whitman duo rebounded, however, played a "great tie-breaker to win the match," Northam added. "They are playing great doubles right now."
Whitman also got solid efforts in the other two doubles matches. Geoff Mayes and Nick Dupuis lost 9-7 in the No. 2 match, while Owen Bargreen and Rick Smith fell 8-4 in the No. 3 bout.
In No. 1 singles, Mullin lost his first set 6-0 before putting up a much better fight in the second set. "Tim was on serve most of the way through the second set," Northam said. His opponent, Andy Madersbacher, had played No. 4 singles last year for the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.
Singles
No. 1 - Andy Madersbacher (USU) def. Tim Mullin: 6-0, 6-4Doubles
No. 1 - Bartee-Mullin (WN) def. Madersbacher-Thomas: 9-8 (7-3)It wasn't as easy as the final score indicates, but the Whitman men pinned a 7-0 loss on Whitworth Friday night in the Bratton Tennis Center. It was Whitman's first match this season against a Northwest Conference opponent.
"It was a tight match," Missionary coach Jeff Northam said. "Whitworth is much improved over last year. They competed hard and played well considering this was their first match of the season. Their new coach, Mike Shanks, has done an excellent job."
For Whitman, the "top of our line-up played very well," Northam said. In No. 1 singles, sophomore Tim Mullin won 6-3, 6-3, while Geoff Mayes in the No. 2 and Nick Dupuis in the No. 3 slots also rolled to two-set victories.
"Tim got up early in both of his sets and never looked back," Northam said. "Geoff was on fire, flying around the court and hitting big shots left and right. It was great seeing Geoff playing with enthusiasm."
Dupuis moved up a spot in singles to replace Eric Bartee, who was resting a sore arm, and turned in a strong performance. Owen Bargreen struggled in the No. 4 singles match, finally winning in three sets. "I know Owen was frustrated with his game," Northam said. "He didn't play very well all night. To his credit, though, he battled through the rough spots to win his match."
Rick Smith "served very well and overpowered his opponent 6-2, 6-2," Northam said. "And Chris Rozelle played one of his first matches in the past couple of years and had a hard-fought 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 win."
Bartee and Mayes stormed to an 8-1 victory in the No. 1 singles match, but Smith and Bargreen had to work much harder to salt away an 8-6 triumph in No. 2 doubles. Dupuis and freshman Graham Sumioka were 8-3 winners in the final doubles match.
"On the whole, we played pretty well," Northam said. "With this being our first home match of the season and having a large crowd, which was great, I think the guys were a little bit tight."
Singles
No. 1 - Tim Mullin (WN) def. Mark Rice: 6-3, 6-3Doubles
No. 1 - Bartee/Mayes (WN) def. Rice Lemberg: 8-1Making it look easier than it was, the Missionary men's tennis team didn't lose a single set in a 7-0 Northwest Conference victory over George Fox University Friday on the outdoor courts at Whitman.
"George Fox is probably the most improved team in the conference," Whitman coach Jeff Northam said. "Our guys just happened to play very well all through the line-up."
Geoff Mayes registered one of his strongest efforts of the season, knocking off Todd Hammans -- one of the top 25 players in the region -- by scores of 6-2, 6-1.
After winning his first set 7-5, Tim Mullin completed his victory in No. 2 singles with a 6-2 win in the second set. Nick Dupuis and Eric Bartee lost only three games each in posting their victories in No. 3 and No. 4 singles. Rick Smith won 6-0, 6-1 at No. 5, while Owen Bargreen was a 6-2, 6-2 winner at No. 6.
In No. 2 doubles, Mayes and Dupuis shut out their opponents 8-0.
Singles
No. 1 - Geoff Mayes (WN) def. Todd Hammans: 6-2, 6-1Doubles
No. 1 - Bartee/Mullin (WN) def. Hammans/Cruz: 8-6The Missionary men' tennis team had way too much firepower for the outmanned Pacific University Boxers Saturday in the Bratton Tennis Center. Whitman posted a relatively easy 6-1 Northwest Conference victory.
Choosing to rest his top three players, Whitman coach Jeff Northam watched as his Missionaries nearly posted a shutout. Nick Dupuis, who normally plays at No. 4 singles for Whitman, moved up to the No. 1 spot and lost in three sets to Pacific's Logan Williams, 7-6, 0-6, 6-4.
"Nick played one of his best matches of the season," Northam said. "He was up against a very good player. Nick just keeps getting better and better."
Freshman Evan Chiang, playing the first singles match of his college career, didn't lose a game in winning the No. 5 singles match. Other winners in singles for the Missionaries were Chris Rozelle, Owen Bargreen, Richard Koelsch and Josh Niederman.
In doubles action, Jon Drugge and Graham Sumioka were 8-1 victors in the No. 2 match, while Dupuis teamed with Eric Bartee for an 8-6 triumph in the No. 1 match.
Singles
No. 1 - Logan Williams (Pacific) def. Nick Dupuis: 7-6, 0-6, 6-4Doubles
No. 1 - Bartee/Dupuis (WN) def. Williams/Uhrich: 8-6The Whitman men's tennis team sealed a successful weekend at home with a 7-0 Northwest Conference victory over Lewis & Clark College Sunday morning at the Bratton Tennis Center. With the victory, Whitman's third of the weekend, the Missionaries improved to 4-0 in conference and 5-5 on the season.
"The team played very well this weekend," Whitman coach Jeff Northam said. "These matches gave some of the younger guys a chance to shine."
Whitman swept Sunday's singles matches, although sophomore Nick Dupuis had to rally to win his match at No. 3 in three sets.
Tim Mullin, another sophomore, didn't lose a game in breezing to victory in the No. 1 singles match. Eric Bartee was almost as dominant in No. 2 singles. Rick Smith, freshman Graham Sumioka and Chris Rozelle also picked up straight set victories for the Missionaries in singles action.
In No. 1 doubles, Mullin and Dupuis rolled to an 8-1 triumph, while Smith and Sumioka won 8-2 in the No. 2 doubles match..
Singles
No. 1 - Tim Mullin (WN) def. Rocky Cambell: 6-0, 6-0Doubles
No. 1 - Mullin/Dupuis (WN) def. Campbell/Upjohn: 8-1Tired after a long week of studies leading up to Spring Break, the Whitman men's team kept its poise and rolled to a 6-1 Northwest Conference victory at the University of Puget Sound Friday. Now 6-5 on the season, the Missionaries improved to 5-0 in conference play, which keeps them atop the league standings.
In No. 1 singles, Whitman's Tim Mullin lost the first set on a tie-breaker but then rebounded to take the next two sets, beating Puget Sound's Rob Weingeist. "That was a good win for Tim," Missionary coach Jeff Northam said. "Rob is one of the better players in the conference."
Geoff Mayes, Erick Bartee, Nick Dupuis and Owen Bargreen won their singles matches in straight sets, although Bartee and Dupuis needed one tie-breaker each. Rick Smith won his first set in No. 5 singles but then lost the next two sets, 6-2, 7-5.
Mayes arrived at the match late because of academic conflicts and missed doubles portion of the competition. With a revised doubles line-up, Whitman still won two of the three doubles matches to score the one team point available in doubles.
Singles
No. 1 - Tim Mullin (WN) def. Rob Weingeist: 6-7, 6-4, 6-2Doubles
No. 1 - Bartee/Mullin (WN) def. Hortshorne/Loveless: 8-6The University of California-Santa Cruz, the No. 1-ranked team nationally in NCAA Div. III, blanked the Whitman men's tennis team 7-0 Sunday morning in Santa Cruz, Calif.
"Our guys competed and played well," Whitman coach Jeff Northam said. "No complaints on the way we played. We were up against the best team in the country."
Tim Mullin got off to a good start in his No. 2 singles match and was serving for the first set at 5-4. But his opponent, Derek Fitzpatrick, broke service to keep the set alive, which he eventually won on a 12-10 tie-breaker.
Playing in No. 4 singles, Whitman's Nick Dupuis lost his second set on a tie-breaker.
In No. 1 singles, Geoff Mayes lost 6-3, 6-3 to Thomas Oechel, arguably the best Division III player in the nation. "Except for one bad game each set, Geoff was with him all the way," Northam said.
Singles
No. 1 - Thomas Oechel (UCSC) def. Geoff Mayes: 6-3, 6-3Doubles
No. 1 - Oechel/Fitzpatrick (UCSC) def. Bartee-Mullin 8-3After winning two of three doubles matches to score a team point, the Whitman men's tennis team extended its lead to 3-0 over Pomona-Pitzer Sunday afternoon when Geoff Mayes and Tim Mullin made quick work of their singles matches.
Whitman's fortunes looked brighter yet when Eric Bartee won his first set in singles, and both Rick Smith and Owen Bargreen were serving 5-4 for their first sets.
But that's when Pomona-Pitzer regrouped and rallied, winning the last four singles matches to escape with a 4-3 victory over Whitman in a match played in Santa Cruz, Calif.
"I think we let one slip away a little bit," Whitman coach Jeff Northam said. "With a few breaks here or there, we really could have won five of the singles matches.
Pomona-Pitzer began the season with a No. 4 ranking in the West Region of NCAA Div. III. The Sagehens are ranked No. 15 nationally.
Whitman, ranked No. 7 regionally, got straight set victories from Mayes in No. 1 singles and Tim Mullin in No. 2 singles. Eric Bartee lost the No. 3 match in three sets, as did Nick Dupuis in the No. 4 match.
After missing opportunities to close out first-set victories on serve, Smith and Bargreen both lost their first sets on tie-breakers.
The teams of Bartee-Mullin and Mayes-Dupuis gave Whitman victories in the top two doubles matches.
Singles
No. 1 - Geoff Mayes (WN) def. Dave Fern: 6-4, 6-3Doubles
No. 1 - Bartee-Mullin (WN) def. Fern/Vora: 9-7With fatigure probably becoming a factor, the Whitman men's tennis team fell to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) 6-1 Monday in a match played in Santa Cruz, Calif. The Missionaries were playing their third match in two days and fourth match in little more than three days.
CMS, which leads the Southern California Intercollegiate Conference with a 6-1 record, improved its season mark to 8-2.
While the Missionaries failed to keep pace with Stags as a team, Whitman sophomore Tim Mullin had a great day, winning his No. 1 singles match in three sets and teaming with Eric Bartee to win the No. 1 doubles match.
CMS, which draws its players from the Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd and Scripps colleges, began the season with a No. 3 ranking in the West Region of NCAA Div. III. Whitman was ranked No. 7 to start the season.
Singles
No. 1 - Tim Mullin (WN) def. Matt Sizemore: 3-6, 7-5, 6-0Doubles
No. 1 - Bartee-Mullin (WN) def. Mat Chambers/Sizemore: 9-8With a quick Spring Break trip behind them, the Whitman men's tennis team returned to the Northwest Wednesday and lost a close 4-3 decision at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Wash. It was Whitman's first Northwest Conference loss of the season, dropping the Missionaries to 5-1 in conference and 6-9 on the season.
The two teams split the six singles matches, with the Lutes surviving three-set battles in the No. 1 and No. 4 matches to keep pace with the Missionaries. Winners for Whitman in straight sets included Geoff Mayes and Owen Bargreen, each of whom remained undefeated against conference opponents. Rick Smith also won in straight sets, running his NWC record to 4-1.
By winning two of the three doubles matches, the Lutes tallied the only team point available in doubles to clinch the victory. Whitman's only win in doubles came courtesy of Mayes and Nick Dupuis in the No. 2 match.
Singles
No. 1 - Clayton Harris (PLU) def. Tim Mullin: 6-4, 4-6, 6-3Doubles
No. 1 - Harris-Lunoe (PLU) def. Bartee-Mullin: 8-6Playing its first match in two weeks, and the first of two on the day, the Whitman men's tennis team handed Willamette a 6-1 Northwest Conference defeat in Salem Saturday morning.
Willamette picked up its only team point in No. 1 singles, where Eduardo Kohlberg knocked off sophomore Tim Mullin. Kohlberg is one of the top players in the West Region of the NCAA Div. III.
Mullin and senior Eric Bartee bounced back to hand Kohlberg and his doubles partner a 9-8 loss in the No. 1 doubles match. The Whitma duo won the match on a 7-5 tie- breaker.
The Missionaries won the other five singles matches, four of them in straight sets. Owen Bargreen captured his third set in No. 5 singles on a 7-5 tie-breaker.
Singles
No. 1 -Eduardo Kohlberg (WIL), def. Tim Mullin: 6-3, 6-2Doubles
No. 1 - Bartee/Mullin (WN) def. Kohlberg/Rapf: 9-8 (7-5)After whipping Willamette 6-1 earlier in the day, the Whitman men's tennis team downed Linfield by the same score Saturday afternoon in Linfield.
Geoff Mayes and Tim Mullin dominated the top two singles matches, losing just one game apiece. Linfield scored its only victory in the No. 6 singles match.
The Missionaries swept to victory in all three doubles matches.
Singles
No. 1 - Tim Mullin (WN) def. Justin Green: 6-0, 6-1Doubles
No. 1 - Bartee/Mullin (WN) def. Greene/Hottmann: 8-3With sophomore Owen Bargreen leading a charge from the lower end of the singles line-up, the Whitman men's tennis team scrambled past Whitworth 5-2 in Spokane Saturday.
Playing up a notch in the No. 4 singles match, Bargreen won in straight sets, as did sophomore Rick Smith at No. 5 and freshman Graham Sumioka at No. 6.
Bargreen and Sumioka also teamed to win the No. 3 doubles match, rallying from a 6-1 deficit to win 8-6. Smith shared in Whitman's victory in the No. 2 doubles match, teaming with Nick Dupuis to win 8-5.
"Owen, Rick and Graham all played really well," Whitman coach Jeff Northam said.
Sophomore Tim Mullin gave Whitman a straight-set victory in the No. 1 singles match. Mullin and Bartee joined forces to win the No. 1 doubles match as well.
Whitman's only losses of the day came in the No. 2 and No. 3 singles matches. Both Bartee and Dupuis lost close decisions in three sets.
The Whitman men take an 8-1 conference record into their final regular-season matches next weekend. Both of those matches will be played on the Whitman campus.
Singles
No. 1 - Tim Mullin (WN) def. Mark Rice: 6-2, 6-3Doubles
No. 1 - Bartee-Mullin (WN) def. Rice-Lemberg: 8-3The Whitman men's tennis team tuned up for Saturday's showdown with Pacific Lutheran by rolling over Puget Sound 7-0 Friday afternoon in the Bratton Tennis Center.
The Missionaries lost just one set in sweeping all six singles matches. Geoff Mayes, Owen Bargreen, Eric Bartee, Nick Dupuis and Rick Smith won in straight sets for Whitman. In No. 2 singles, Tim Mullin rebounded from a 6-3 first-set loss to win in three sets.
Mayes and Bargreen remained undefeated in conference singles play. Mayes upped his record to 5-0 in singles, while Bargreen improved to 7-0. Mullin raised his conference singles record to 6-1, while Smith won for the sixth time in eight matches. Dupuis and Bartee extended their winning records to 5-2 and 4-2, respectively.
Whitman also swept the three doubles matches, although each contest was close. Missionary duos won the No. 2 and No. 3 matches, for example, by 9-8 scores.
Singles
No. 1 - Geoff Mayes (WN) def. Andy Loveless: 6-4, 6-2Doubles
No. 1 - Bartee-Mullin (WN) def. Weingeist-Paul Kelley: 8-6With senior Geoff Mayes and sophomore Tim Mullin leading the charge, the Whitman men's tennis team won the top two singles and top two doubles matches in a showdown with Pacific Lutheran at the Bratton Tennis Center Saturday afternoon.
Pacific Lutheran swept all the other matches, however, to squeeze past the Missionaries 4-3. It was the second time this season the Lutes had edged Whitman by a single point in the team scoring.
PLU finished its regular season with an 11-0 record in conference matches. Whitman finished in second place at 9-2.
Playing No. 1 singles, Mayes downed PLU's Clayton Harris in straight sets. Mullin needed three sets to get past Hao Nguyen, PLU's other top-ranked player. Mayes completed an undefeated conference singles, winning all six of the matches he played this spring in the No. 1 or No. 2 slots. Mullin was almost as impressive, going 7-1 in conference while alternating with Mayes in the top two spots.
While Mayes and Mullin were taking the top two matches Saturday, the Lutes were taking the four remaining singles matches to forge their team victory. The most competitive of those matches came at No. 4, where Whitman's Eric Bartee won the first set but then lost the next two.
Whitman notched its other team point by winning two of the three doubles matches. Mullin and Bartee won 8-5 in the No. 1 match, while Mayes and Owen Bargreen were winners at No. 2.
Singles
No. 1 - Geoff Mayes (WN) def. Clayton Harris: 6-4, 6-3Doubles
No. 1 - Bartee-Mullin (WN) def. Harris-Lunoe: 8-5The Whitman men's tennis team rolled over Whitworth 7-0 Friday morning in the opening round of the Northwest Conference men's tennis tournament in the Pamphlin Tennis Center at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Wash.
The Missionaries didn't lose a set in winning the six singles matches. Sophomore Tim Mullin thoroughly dominated his opponent in No. 2 singles, winning 6-0, 6-0, and sophomore Nick Dupuis lost just one game in taking the No. 5 singles match.
Other Whitman winners in singles were Geoff Mayes, Eric Bartee, Owen Bargreen and Jon Drugge.
The Missionaries also swept through the three doubles matches with little difficulty.
Singles
No. 1 - Geoff Mayes (WN) def. Mark Rice: 6-3, 6-2Doubles
No. 1 - Bartee-Mullin (WN) def. Rice-Lemberg: 8-2Three of the singles matches went to three sets, but Whitman captured two of those battles and the Missionaries cruised to a 6-1 victory over the University of Puget Sound Friday evening in the semifinals of the Northwest Conference men's tennis championships. Puget Sound is hosting the championships in the Pamphlin Tennis Center.
The victory, Whitman's second of the day, moved the Missionaries into the conference championship match at 11 a.m. Saturday. Whitman will likely face Pacific Lutheran, the regular season champion. The Lutes were playing Willamette in Friday night's other semifinal match.
Senior Geoff Mayes and sophomore Tim Mullin gave Whitman straight-set victories in the top two singles matches in Friday's match with Puget Sound. Matches three through five, however, all went to three sets. Eric Bartee, another Missionary senior, lost his first set 7-5, battled back to win the second set on a tie-breaker, and then won the deciding set 6-3. Nick Dupuis won his three-setter, but Owen Bargreen dropped his second and third sets after winning the first one.
As they did in the opening round, Whitman claimed all three doubles matches.
Singles
No. 1 - Geoff Mayes (WN) def. Andy Loveless: 6-4, 6-4Doubles
No. 1 - Bartee-Mullin (WN) def. Weingeist-Paul Kelley: 8-4
With senior Geoff Mayes putting the finishing touches on an undefeated season against conference opponents, the Whitman men's tennis team slipped past Pacific Lutheran 4-3 to claim a Northwest Conference title Saturday at the University of Puget Sound's Pamphlin Tennis Center.
For the second time in a week, Mayes knocked off PLU's highly-ranked Clayton Harris in the No. 1 singles match. Mayes, who did not lose a set all season in NWC play, also beat Harris when the two schools met in their final match of the regular season.
In Saturday's showdown, Whitman also got straight-set victories in singles from sophomore Tim Mullin in the No. 2 spot and sophomore Rick Smith at No. 6. With the two teams splitting the six singles matches, the outcome was left to doubles. Whitman picked up the one team available in doubles by winning two of those three matches.
Mullin and senior Eric Bartee were 8-5 winners in No. 1 doubles, and Mayes stayed unbeaten in conference doubles action by teaming with sophomore Owen Bargreen for an 8-4 victory in No. 2 doubles. The Missionaries came close to sweeping the doubles matches, but Smith and Nick Dupuis lost a close 8-6 decision in the No. 3 match.
The victory was a sweet one for a Missionary team that had lost a pair of 4-3 decisions to Pacific Lutheran during the regular season. Whitman's triumph also snapped a long string of PLU victories in the conference tournament.
"PLU had won every conference championship since I was a senior at Whitman back in 1988," Missionary coach Jeff Northam said. "To come into this last weekend and beat PLU was a great accomplishment by our players. It's a very special treat to win the title this year."
Both Mayes and Mullin earned spots on the All-Northwest Conference First Team, while Bartee received second-team honors. Northam also was named Coach of the Year in men's tennis.
Adding more significanse to Whitman's conference title was the fact that six of the team's top eight players from a year ago had graduated, Northam noted. "This was basically a whole new team," Northam said. "The players improved so much over the course of the year."
Mayes, who returned to competitive tennis this season after a two-year layoff, ended his season playing as well as anyone in the nation at the NCAA Div. III level, Northam said. Mayes' victory over Harris on Saturday came one day after Harris had beaten Willamette's Eduardo Kohlberg, the top-ranked singles player in the West Region.
Splitting time this season with Mullin in Whitman's top singles spot, Mayes finished his year with an 11-0 singles record against conference opponents. The fact that Mayes didn't lose a set all season in conference matches may have been a first, Northam said. "I don't know if that's ever happened before."
Mayes compiled a 10-0 conference record in doubles play. He was 8-0 in No. 2 doubles, winning six of those matches with Bargreen. Mayes also teamed with Bartee and Dupuis to win twice in the No. 1 doubles spot.
Mullins also pieced together a superlative season. He finished with an 11-2 conference record in singles, losing only to Kohlberg and Clayton, and an 11-1 conference mark in No. 1 doubles. He teamed with Bartee to win all but one of those doubles matches.
There is some chance that Mullins and Bartee, as a doubles team, will receive a berth to the NCAA Div. III regional tournament, Northam said. The region's four top-ranked teams advance, and Mullins and Bartee were listed at No. 5 when the most recent rankings were released April 12. Since then, however, Mullins and Bartee have two straight victories over PLU's top team, Harris and Peter Luneo, which was ranked No. 4 in the latest poll.
Mullins and Bartee also plan to compete April 27-30 in the prestigious and highly competitive Ojai Valley Tennis Tournament in Ojai, Calif. Now in its 100th year, it is the oldest amateur tennis tournament in the nation.
There also is a slim chance Whitman's entire team could receive a berth in the NCAA Div. III playoffs, Northam said. The six top-ranked teams in the region advance, and Whitman was ranked No. 7 in the most recent poll. Pacific Lutheran, ranked No. 5 in that poll, will probably get the post-season invitation based on its two regular season wins over the Missionaries.
In addition to Mayes and Mullin, other Whitman players ended the season with strong records in conference play. Smith, who got a critical win in singles to help the Missionaries whip PLU in the conference title match, finished with a 10-2 singles record. Bargreen, who played at least one match at all levels except No. 1, ended his spring with a 9-3 record. Dupuis was 9-4 in the third through fifth spots, and Bartee was 8-4 in spots two through four.
In addition to his 11 victories in doubles with Mullin, Bartee won twice more with other partners to run his overall doubles record to 13-1 in conference action. Counting the matches he played with Mayes, Bargreen compiled a 10-1 doubles record in conference.
Playing doubles with six different partners, Dupuis amassed an 11-4 record in conference doubles. His primary partner, Smith, finished with an 8-3 doubles record against NWC opponents.
Singles
No. 1 - Geoff Mayes (WN) def. Clayton Harris: 6-3, 7-6 (7-4)Doubles
No. 1 - Bartee-Mullin (WN) def. Harris-Lunoe: 8-5
Whitman sophomore Tim Mullin is off to a great start in the NCAA Div. III portion of the prestigious Ojai Valley Tennis Tournament in Ojai, Calif. In his opening round singles match Friday morning, Mullin breezed to a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Eric Carlson of Menlo College. Later in the morning, Mullin rallied from a first-set loss to knock off Danny Kim of of the University of California-Santa Cruz (UCSC) by the scores of 1-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4. Kim entered the tournament ranked No. 4 in the West Region of NCAA Div. III, while Mullin was ranked No. 11 in the most recent poll.
"That was a tremendous win for Tim," Whitman coach Jeff Northam said. "Danny Kim is a top 20 player nationally at this level."
Mullin wasn't done for the day, however. Friday afternoon, Mullin teamed with Missionary senior Eric Bartee to win their opening round doubles match over Kim and one of his UCSC teammates, Chris Harrison. The Whitman duo won 6-4, 2-6, 6-2.
Whitman's Bartee also was entered in today's 32-player singles draw, but he dropped a 6-3, 6-3 decision to Steve Marshburn in the opening round. Marshburn was this spring's "Player of the Year" in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Association.
Mullin advances to play a quarterfinal singles match at 8 a.m. Saturday against Matt Sizemore of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. The latest West Region rankings had Sizemore at No. 9 in singles.
Mullin and Sizemore have met twice already this season, once in singles and once in doubles. On March 13, during Whitman's Spring Break trip through California, Mullin rebounded from a first-set loss to beat Sizemore in three sets. That same day, Mullin teamed with Eric Bartee to beat Sizemore and Matt Chambers by a 9-8 pro-set score in doubles.
If Mullin can beat Sizemore again Saturday morning, he will advance to an 11 a.m. semifinal match against the winner of a quarterfinal match between Thomas Oechel of UCSC and Steve Marshburn of the University of Redlands. Oechel is ranked No. 2 in the West Region, while Marshburn is No. 7.
The singles championship match is set for 8 a.m. Sunday.
The doubles competition, which began with 16 teams, resumes with quarterfinal action at 2 p.m. Saturday. Mullin and Bartee will play Pomona-Pitzer's David Fern and Samir Vora, a team they edged back in March in a 9-7 pro-set decision.
In the latest West Region rankings, Mullin and Bartee were No. 5. Fern and Vora were listed at No. 12.
If Mullin and Bartee beat Fern and Vora Saturday morning, they will advance to one of the semifinal matches at 11 a.m. Sunday. The doubles championship is set for 3:30 p.m. Sunday.
Due to incorrect information posted on the web page of the Ojai Valley (Calif.) Tennis Tournament, Whitman sophomore Tim Mullin's impressive run through the NCAA Div. III singles bracket at that tournament came to an end one match earlier than reported previously.
Mullin, who won a pair of matches in the opening rounds Friday, squared off Saturday morning in the quarterfinals with Matt Sizemore of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. Results posted on the web by the tournament continue (as of Sunday morning) to show Mullin winning that match 7-5, 1-6, 7-5 before losing in the semifinals to Thomas Oechel of the University of California-Santa Cruz.
In fact, however, Mullin lost to Sizemore, the ninth-ranked player in the West Region, by the scores listed above. Mullin, who was ranked No. 11 in the region prior to the tournament, fell behind 3-0 in the third and deciding set. He charged back to grab a 5-4 lead, however, and was two points away from winning the third set 6-4. Unfortunately, that's when the "wheels came off for Tim," Whitman coach Jeff Northam said. Mullin won only four points the rest of the way as Sizemore rallied to win three straight games and the match.
"I think playing three three-set matches (in little more than 24 hours) took it out of Tim," Northam added. Mullin won his opening round singles match on Friday morning in straight sets, but he needed three sets later in the morning to scramble past Danny Kim, a top 20 player nationally, in his next match. Friday afternoon, Mullin and one of his Whitman teammates, senior Eric Bartee, won their opening round match in doubles in three sets.
After Mullin lost to Sizemore Saturday morning, he and Bartee lost a quarterfinal doubles match later in the day to Pomona-Pitzer's David Fern and Samir Vora. The scores were 6-0, 6-2. Earlier this season in a dual match between Whitman and Pomona-Pitzer, Mullin and Bartee beat Fern and Vora in a 9-7 pro-set decision.
Sloan Rush and Ed Rahn, two members of the national champion Trinity College Tigers, handed Whitman's Tim Mullin and Eric Bartee an early exit Monday during the doubles competition of the NCAA Div. III Individual Championships at Kalamazoo (Mich.) College. Rush and Rahn won the opening round match 6-2, 6-3.
"Tim and Eric were actually up a break early in each set, but they couldn't quite pull through on the tough points," Whitman coach Jeff Northam said.
The team portion of the NCAA championships concluded Sunday at Kalamazoo. Trinity, a liberal arts & sciences college of 2,600 students in San Antonio, Texas, racked up three straight victories to win the national team title. Trinity qualified for the national team tournament by winning its seventh straight Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) title earlier this spring.
The individual championships, which include a singles and doubles bracket, began Monday and continue through Wednesday. The top players from throughout the nation are invited to the individual championships based on their regional rankings.
Trinity's Rush, a sophomore, was the SCAC men's tennis player of the year this season. The No. 3 seed in the singles bracket of this week's tournament, Rush was his first two singles matches on Monday.
Mullin and Bartee were the first Missionary tennis players to compete in the NCAA Div. III national championships since 1988, when Northam was a senior at Whitman. Competing as a team, the Missionaries placed seventh at nationals in 1988, 12th in 1987 and fourth in 1986. A number of Missionaries from that era also competed in the individual championships. In 1986, for example, Chris Gregerson advanced to the championship finals of the singles competition before losing.