WALLA WALLA, Wash. -- Steven Ly, a senior on the Whitman College men's tennis team, is the third Missionary in the past three weeks to be named Northwest Conference Player of the Week for men's tennis.
Ly, the reigning NWC Player of the Year, won twice last weekend at No. 2 singles, losing just three games in two matches. He also teamed with senior Phalkun Mam to win 8-0 and 8-1 decisions at No. 1 doubles.
Whitman, ranked No. 15 nationally in NCAA Div. III, extended its record to 21-4 on the season and 15-0 in the NWC. Ly, a graduate of Centennial High School in Gresham, Ore., is 7-0 this season in singles against conference opponents.
Whitman players have now won the Player of the Week award in each of the past three weeks. Sophomore Christoph Fuchs (La Center, Wash.) and senior Robbie Munday (Okanogan Falls, B.C.) were the two previous winners. For the season, Whitman players have won four of the six awards given. Mam (Salem, Ore.) was the recipient in late February.
This is the fourth time in his Whitman career that Ly has earned the weekly NWC honor. He won the award twice during his junior season and once as a sophomore. An All-NWC First Team selection in each of his first three seasons, Ly was the only player from the conference invited to last spring's NCAA Div. III Singles Championships.
Whitman has just four matches remaining in its regular season. It can complete an undefeated conference campaign when it hosts Pacific on Saturday, April 14. The Missionaries also hit the road that weekend to play matches at three NCAA Div. I schools -- Gonzaga, Idaho and Eastern Washington. The NWC Championships are set for April 21-22 in Yakima, Wash., with the winner getting an automatic berth into the NCAA playoffs.
Dave Holden, Whitman Sports Information, (509) 527-5902
Email: holden@whitman.edu