WALLA WALLA, Wash. -- For the second time in as many weeks, a Whitman College athlete has been named Northwest Conference Player of the Week for men's tennis.
This week's winner is Steven Ly, a Whitman junior from Fairview, Ore. Whitman's Phalkun Mam, also a junior, received last week's award.
Ly, who plays No. 1 singles for the Missionaries, sparked Whitman's comeback victory over Pacific Lutheran last Saturday in Tacoma, Wash. Down one set, he rallied for a three-set victory over PLU senior Ricky Butenko, who holds a No. 5 singles ranking in the West Region of NCAA Division III.
Midway through the Pacific Lutheran match, Whitman trailed 3-1 in the team scoring. But Ly and teammates Phalkun Mam and Justin Hayashi swept the final three matches to give the Missionaries a 4-3 triumph. Mam, a junior, and Hayashi, a freshman, also rallied from a set down to win their matches.
Mam and Ly also picked up a victory over their PLU counterparts to at No. 1 doubles, although the Lutes were victorious at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles to claim the doubles point.
Later on Saturday, Ly won again at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles as Whitman rolled to its seventh straight victory, a 7-0 triumph over Puget Sound. That elevated the Missionary record to 10-2 on the season and to 8-0 in the NWC. It is Whitman's best start in several years.
Ly, a two-time All-NWC First-Team selection, is 6-0 in singles and 7-0 in doubles against NWC opponents this spring. On the season, Ly is 8-2 in singles and 9-2 in doubles. His only losses this season, in singles and doubles, came in matches against the University of Portland, an NCAA Div. I school, and Lewis-Clark State, an NAIA Div. I powerhouse.
This week's NWC Player of the Year award is the second time Ly has been so honored. He also received the award in April of last year.
Whitman continues NWC play on Friday, hosting Willamette in the morning and then playing Whitworth in the afternoon in Spokane, Wash. The Missionaries then embark on a Spring Break swing through California, playing five teams in six days.
Dave Holden, Whitman Sports Information, (509) 527-5902
Email: holden@whitman.edu