WALLA WALLA, Wash. – Elise Otto and Hadley DeBree, two members of the Whitman College women’s tennis squad, have earned spots on the All-Northwest Conference First Team. A Whitman third player, Katie Oost, was named to All-NWC Second Team in the season-ending vote of coaches.
Otto, a first-year player from Spokane, Wash., was the fourth-leading vote-getter on the eight-woman first team. She led Whitman to a third-place finish at last weekend's NWC championship tournament, playing both No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles.
DeBree, a sophomore from Ketchum, Idaho, earned first-team honors for a second consecutive season. She played No. 2 singles and No. 2 doubles this past spring. Oost, a junior from Poulsbo, anchored the lower half of Whitman's singles line-up and played at No. 3 doubles. She is one of six players to make the second team.
Otto, a graduate of Spokane's Lewis & Clark High School, played in Whitman's top singles spot throughout the season, compiling a 15-4 against conference opponents. One of her victories was a three-set triumph over Linfield senior Kasey Kuenzli, the 2006 NWC Player of the Year. She also teamed with junior Margo Lentz for a 14-5 NWC record at No. 1 doubles.
Otto twice earned NWC Player-of-the-Week honors in her first college season. She is No. 13 in the latest west region rankings for NCAA Div. III.
DeBree, a graduate of Wood River High School in Hailey, Idaho, posted a 14-5 conference record at No. 2 singles. She played with three different doubles partners during the season, enjoying the most success with Oost. Their NWC record at No. 2 doubles was 5-1.
Oost, a graduate of North Kitsap High School, had a stellar season at No. 4 and No. 5 singles with a 15-3 record in conference play. She also played doubles with three different teammates, winning 16 of 19 NWC matches. She and sophomore Divneet Kaur were 9-0 at No. 3 doubles during the latter part of the season.
Kaur, who played her prep tennis at Marist High School in Eugene, Ore., missed out on all-conference recognition despite posting a 13-5 record in NWC singles. As part of three combos in doubles, she shared in a 16-3 season record.
Despite having just seven players on the roster, including one player who was limited by injury to doubles, Whitman placed fourth during the NWC regular season with a 10-6 record. Whitman then won two of three matches at last weekend's championship tournament to place third.