It was a good effort but not good enough as Whitman dropped a 5-1 decision to second-ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) Saturday morning in the west regionals of the NCAA Div. III men's national tennis championships.
Playing on the CMS home courts in Claremont, Calif., Whitman fell behind 2-1 as the Stags won two of three matches in doubles. CMS then won the first three decisions in singles to clinch the victory. Three singles matches were left unfinished, including the battle at No. 2 where Whitman junior Daniel Solomon led 6-1, 6-5.
Whitman, No. 20 in the latest national rankings, saw its season end at 22-10. CMS improved to 24-7 and faces No. 1 University of California-Santa Cruz at noon Sunday in the regional final. UC-Santa Cruz downed No. 10 Redlands 5-3 in Saturday's other regional semifinal on the CMS courts.
Whitman, the Northwest Conference champion, scored its doubles point in the No. 1 match, where the Solomon brothers, Daniel and Matt, posted an 8-6 victory over Lawrence Wang and Guillaume Schils, a pair of CMS juniors. Wang and Schils are No. 2 in the most recent regional doubles rankings, five spots in front of the Solomons.
CMS, champion of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, claimed the other two decisions in doubles. In the No. 2 match, Whitman's Robert Rye and Jake Cappel held a 5-4 lead before CMS's Ben Hough and Eric MacCool (No. 6 regional ranking) rallied for an 8-6 victory. CMS also won at No. 3 doubles, where Michael Starr and Russell Brockett downed Whitman's Justin Hayashi and Jasper Follows 8-4.
Daniel Solomon, No. 19 in the latest regional singles rankings, rolled over MacCool 6-1 in their opening set and was on the verge of victory in the second set when CMS clinched the overall victory. At No. 5 singles, Whitman's Dan Wilson lost his first set to Brockett on a 7-3 tie-breaker but was up 1-0 in the second set when the competition ended.
Michael Starr, a CMS junior, rallied to edge Whitman freshman Chris Bailey 6-4 in their first set at No. 3 singles and was leading 5-1 in the second when that match was halted.
Wang, No. 3 in the regional singles ranking, scored a 6-1, 6-3 victory over 14th-ranked Matt Solomon in the No. 1 singles match. Cappel lost 6-3, 6-4 at No. 4 singles, and Hayashi fell by the same scores at No. 6.
The winner of Sunday's match between CMS and UC-Santa Cruz advances to the eight-team national championship finals May 13-15 at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine.
Match scoresA close match broke in favor of the opposition as Whitman's Matt and Daniel Solomon dropped an 8-4 decision Saturday afternoon to Max Ortiz and Brian Pybas, a doubles combo from the University of California-Santa Cruz, in the NCAA Div. III doubles quarterfinals of California's 108th annual Ojai Valley Tennis Tournament.
The Solomon brothers held an early 2-1 lead and trailed 5-4 midway through the match. That's when Ortiz and Pybas, who held a No. 12 national ranking in doubles last November, reeled off three straight games to take the match.
Ortiz and Pybas, who helped the Banana Slugs capture last year's national team title, followed their victory over the Solomons by taking an 8-5 semifinal decision from a Redlands duo, Zach Hassenyager and Mike Reading. Ortiz and Pybas face a second Redlands duo, Jeff Hammond and Kevin Wong, in the tournament title match on Sunday.
Whitman, which won the Northwest Conference championship last Saturday, will be competing next week in the NCAA Div. III national playoffs. The regional playoff assignments will be announced on Monday.
The Solomon brothers, Matt and Daniel, won their second-round doubles match Friday afternoon to keep a Whitman presence alive in the NCAA Div. III portion of California's 108th annual Ojai Valley Tennis Tournament.
The Solomons, seeded No. 3 in the doubles bracket, followed a first-round bye with an 8-1 blitzing of junior Alex Muresan and freshman John Paul Arreglado of the University of La Verne. Whitman's top doubles duo advances to a Saturday afternoon (3 p.m.) quarterfinal match against the bracket's No. 7 seeds, junior Max Ortiz and sophomore Brian Pybas of the University of California-Santa Cruz.
Whitman's other doubles entry, senior Robert Rye and sophomore Jake Cappel, dropped an 8-3 decision in the opening round to the No. 6 seeds, seniors Ransom Cook and Eric Wagar of the University of Redlands.
Earlier on Friday in the singles bracket, the Whitman contingent raced through the first round but then crashed in round two.
Matt Solomon, a sophomore and the No. 3 seed in the singles bracket, followed his first-round bye with a 6-3, 6-3 loss to Russell Brockett, a Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) freshman who rolled through his spring season with a 15-1 record in singles. CMS, ranked fifth nationally, won its third consecutive Southern California Intercolliate Athletic Conference title last week.
Daniel Solomon, a junior and a No. 9 seed in the singles bracket, opened play on Friday with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Arrelgado. But a slow start in his second-round match against Aron Ouye, a Redlands junior, proved fatal in a 6-1, 7-6 (7-5) loss.
Cappel had no trouble in his opener, dispatching CalTech junior Rico Chiu by a 6-2, 6-0 count. It was a different story in round two as Cappel fell 6-2, 6-3 to Ortiz, the No. 8 seed and a 2007 All-American for defending national champion UC-Santa Cruz.
Rye knocked off his first opponent, Whittier College sophomore Sean Robertson, by scores of 6-2, 6-2. His 6-3, 6-4 loss in round two came at the hands of the tournament's No. 7 seed, Redlands sophomore Matt Liebman.
With a good start in doubles and a dominating performance in singles, the Whitman men's tennis team captured its first Northwest Conference title since 2004 with a 8-1 victory over defending champion Pacific Lutheran on a chilly Saturday afternoon at the Yakima (Wash.) Tennis Club.
Up 2-1 after doubles, Whitman swept the six matches in singles, taking five of those decisions in straight sets. Now 22-9 on the season and ranked No. 20 nationally, Whitman gets the NWC's automatic berth in the NCAA Div. III playoffs.
"Unlike yesterday in the semifinals, when we played a little soft and were just trying not to lose, we were playing to win today," Whitman coach Jeff Northam said. "This team is still relatively young with a lot of sophomores and freshmen, and today is the first time this season we played with great intensity from start to finish.
"I’m really proud of the way guys stepped up, especially in singles," Northam added. "Losing just one set in singles is a nice accomplishment."
Matt Solomon, a sophomore who plays No. 1 singles for Whitman, said he and his teammates were ready to play after a relatively lackluster 6-3 victory over Willamette in Friday’s semifinals.
"We came out strong today," Solomon said. "We were aggressive and attacked them right from the start. We did everything we needed to do to win. In a sense, the way we played on Friday was why we played so well today. After losing the championship match to PLU last year, this is a sweet win for us."
Solomon teamed with older brother Daniel Solomon, a junior, for a dominating 8-2 victory at No. 1 doubles at the outset of the championship finale. Junior captain Justin Hayashi and sophomore Justin Follows were just as dominant at No. 3 doubles, winning by the same score.
Pacific Lutheran salvaged a point at No. 2 doubles, where Justin Peterson and Michael Manser started quickly and then held off Whitman sophomores Nadeem Kassam and Jake Cappel for an 8-5 win.
The doubles competition started under mostly sunny skies with temperatures in the mid-40s. In the break between doubles and singles, temperatures dipped and light snow flurries briefly dusted the courts.
The frosty precipitation dissipated in time for the start of singles, and it was immediately apparent that Whitman was just getting warmed up. Led by the Solomon brothers in the top two spots, Whitman bolted to first-set victories in five of the six singles matches.
Freshman Chris Bailey, running his NWC singles record to 13-0, was the first to finish with a 6-1, 6-2 victory at No. 3. Sophomore Dan Wilson was the next guy off the courts, upping his conference singles record to 11-0 with a 6-2, 6-1 win at No. 5.
With its lead in the team scoring at 4-1, Whitman needed just one more win for the match-clinching fifth point. A few minutes after Wilson polished off his opponent, Matt Solomon put Whitman over the top with a 7-5, 6-1 win at No. 1 singles.
Shortly thereafter, Cappel made it 6-1 Whitman with a 6-2, 7-5 win at No. 4 singles. Daniel Solomon, now 9-0 in NWC singles, was the next to finish with a 6-2, 6-4 victory at No. 2 singles.
The final match to finish was at No. 6, where Hayashi rallied for a 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 triumph.
The Solomons helped set the tone for the match with their 8-2 win at No. 1 doubles. After racing away to a 3-0 lead, and after PLU’s Kevin Floyd and Justin Larimore momentarily closed to within 3-2, the two brothers won the next five games to close out the match.
Hayashi and Follows were just as impressive at No. 3 doubles, winning their last five games for their 8-2 win. The victory extended their doubles record against conference foes to 9-0.
"Playing well in doubles gave us a lot of momentum going into singles," Dan Solomon said. "Winning this title as part of a team with my brother is one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve had in my life. I couldn't ask for anything more."
Match scores
Bouncing back from a slow start in doubles, Whitman won five of six matches in singles to scoot past Willamette 6-3 in a Friday afternoon semifinal match at the men's Northwest Conference tennis championships at the Yakima (Wash.) Tennis Club.
Now 21-9 on the season and ranked No. 20 nationally, Whitman advances to play Pacific Lutheran for the NWC title at noon Saturday. Pacific Lutheran, 15-10 on the season, squeaked past Linfield 5-4 in today's other semifinal.
Bidding for a major upset, Willamette picked off two of three matches in doubles for an early 2-1 lead over Whitman. Junior Justin Hayashi and sophomore Jasper Follows posted Whitman's only doubles victory at No. 3, winning 8-3 to raise their record against conference foes to 8-0. Willamette's Eric MacMillan and Andrew Murakami won a key battle at No. 1, edging the Solomon brothers, Daniel and Matt, 9-8 on a 7-5 tie-breaker.
Whitman regained the lead at 3-2 early in singles, thanks to a pair of quick straight-set wins. Daniel Solomon, a junior, obilerated his opponent 6-0, 6-1 at No. 2 singles, and sophomore Jake Cappel rolled to a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 4.
The two sides split the next two decisions, giving Whitman a 4-3 lead. Dan Wilson, a Whitman sophomore, won 6-2, 2-6, 6-1 at No. 5 singles, raising his record against NWC foes to 10-0. Meanwhile, Willamette got the win at No. 1 singles, where Bearcat senior Eric MacMillan downed sophomore Matthew Solomon 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. Solomon had taken a three-set decision from MacMillan earlier in the season.
With Whitman needing one more team point to clinch the team triumph, freshman Chris Bailey rallied for a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory at No. 3 singles, extending his season record to 17-7, which includes a 12-0 mark in NWC play. The only match still unfinished at that point was No. 6 singles, where Hayashi was en route to a 6-7, 6-1, 1-0 (10-3) comeback.
Whitman cruised to a 16-0 NWC regular season this spring. Its second consecutive undefeated regular season included 6-3 and 9-0 victories over Pacific Lutheran.
Willamette, now 8-9 on the season, plays Linfield at 8 a.m. Saturday for third place.
Match scoresThe Whitman men's tennis team put the finishing touches on its second consecutive undefeated Northwest Conference regular season with a 9-0 victory over Lewis & Clark Saturday morning in Portland, Ore. It was Whitman's 12th shutout win of the conference season.
Whitman takes records of 16-0 (NWC) and 20-9 (overall) and a No. 1 seed into next weekend's conference championship tournament in Yakima, Wash. Lewis & Clark ended its season with records of 3-13 and 4-16.
Robert Rye, the lone senior on Whitman's roster, rolled to a 6-1, 6-1 victory at No. 1 singles, improving his NWC record to 8-0. Half of those victories have come at the No. 1 spot.
Junior Christoph Fuchs was a 6-1, 7-6 (7-1) winner at No. 2 singles, and sophomore David Deming ran his conference singles record to 9-1 with a 7-5, 6-1 win at No. 3. Freshmen Quin Miller and Jon Tat, along with sophomore Thomas Roston, completed the sweep in singles, raising their collective conference record to 13-0.
In doubles, Fuchs and Miller cruised to an 8-1 victory at No. 1. Rye and Deming were shutout winners at No. 2 while Roston and Tat won 8-2 at No. 3.
Match scores
Picking up a measure of revenge for a pair of season-opening losses, the Whitman men's tennis team ran its season-record to 19-9 with a 7-2 non-conference victory over visiting Lewis-Clark State Saturday morning on outdoor campus courts.
Whitman, ranked No. 19 nationally in NCAA Div. III, clinched the victory by winning five of the six decisions in the opening singles matches. The host squad then capped its triumph by taking two of three matches in doubles.
The loss dropped Lewis-Clark State, which holds a No. 19 NAIA national ranking, to 10-10 on the season.
Three of the matches in singles went to a third-set tie-breaker with Whitman emerging on top in two cases. Whitman sophomore Matt Solomon won 6-2, 1-6, 10-6 at No. 1 singles, and sophomore teammate Dan Wilson rallied for a 3-6, 7-6 (7-4) victory at No. 5. A third Whitman sophomore, Jake Cappel, wasn't as fortunate at No. 4 singles, where he dropped a 6-4, 2-6, 10-7 decision to Ali Faris, a senior from Male in The Maldives.
Straight-set winners for Whitman in singles were junior Daniel Solomon at No. 2, freshman Chris Bailey at No. 3, and junior Justin Hayashi at No. 6.
All three matches in doubles were back-and-forth affairs. Cappel, celebrating his birthday, teamed with sophomore Nadeem Kassam for an 8-6 win at No. 2, and it was Hayashi and sophomore Jasper Follows outlasting their opponents for a 9-7 victory at No. 3.
At No. 1 doubles, the Solomon brothers came up short 9-8 (9-7) to Faris and Kevin Lee, a sophomore from Miri, Malaysia.
Whitman opened its season on Jan. 26 with a pair of losses to Lewis-Clark State in Lewiston, Idaho. The scores were 4-3 and 5-2.
While part of Whitman's roster was hosting Lewis-Clark on Saturday, the other part was in Portland, Ore., to play Lewis & Clark College in Whitman's final match of the Northwest Conference regular season. A victory in that match will Whitman its second consecutive undefeated season (16-0) against conference foes.
The NWC championship tournament is set for next Friday and Saturday in Yakima, Wash.
Match scores
Robert Rye, the lone senior on the roster, collected a pair of wins in his final home match as Whitman rolled over Puget Sound 9-0 Saturday afternoon on the campus outdoor courts.
Ranked No. 19 nationally, Whitman improved to 18-9 on the season and 15-0 in the Northwest Conference. Puget Sound saw its NWC record slide to 5-9.
Rye teamed with junior Justin Hayashi for an 8-5 victory over Jamie Hosmer and Sam McCullough at No. 1 doubles. Sophomores Jake Cappel and Nadeem Kassam pitched an 8-0 shutout at No. 2 doubles, and juniors Christoph Fuchs and Daniel Solomon won by the same score in the No. 3 slot.
Rye, a team captain, picked up his second win of the day at No. 1 singles, downing Hosmer 6-2, 6-2. His two victories ran Rye's career win-loss record at Whitman to 48-13, a 78.7 percent winning percentage -- the highest such percentage among players with at least 50 matches in coach Jeff Northam's 14 seasons.
Rye was one of four Whitman players on Saturday who remained undefeated in singles against NWC opponents. Rye jumped his conference record to 7-0, as did Solomon with a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 2 singles. Solomon's two wins were a nice way to celebrate his birthday.
At No. 3 singles, freshman Chris Bailey got past Puget Sound's Alex Harrison 6-4, 6-2 to stretch his NWC record to 11-0. Sophomore Jasper Follows is 6-0 in singles after winning 6-0, 6-1 at No. 5.
Sophomore David Deming got the win at No. 6 singles, boosting his conference mark to 8-1. Fuchs is 4-1 in NWC singles after beating Scooter Sabel 6-3, 6-2 in the No. 4 match.
Whitman can close out its second consecutive undefeated regular season when it plays at Lewis & Clark next Saturday in Portland. Puget Sound wraps up its regular season next Friday and Saturday with home matches against George Fox and Willamette.
Match scoresWith some of its more accomplished players in Portland playing two NCAA Div. I schools, the Whitman men's tennis team retained more than enough firepower to blast its way past George Fox 9-0 Sunday afternoon in a Northwest Conference match played at the Tualatin Hills Tennis Center in Beaverton, Ore.
The victory capped a busy two days of tennis that saw Whitman split its roster in half and win five of six matches, including all four of its NWC battles. Whitman, ranked No. 18 nationally in NCAA Div. III, ended the day with records of 17-9 overall and 14-0 in conference.
Against George Fox (1-12, 1-10 NWC), Whitman used almost the same line-up that blanked Pacific earlier in the day. Senior Robert Rye and sophomore David Deming again led the charge, winning the top two matches in singles and combining for an 8-1 victory at No. 1 doubles. Rye extended his NWC singles record to 6-0 while Deming moved his conference singles mark to 6-1.
Also notching their second wins of the day in singles were freshman Quin Miller at No. 3, sophomore Thomas Roston at No. 4, and freshman Jon Tat at No. 5. Freshman Matt Goldfogel picked up the win at No. 6.
As they did in the earlier Pacific match, Roston and Miller rolled to victory at No. 2 doubles. Junior Reid Bennett and Tat won 8-6 at No. 3 doubles.
Whitman, which has won its last 32 NWC regular season matches, can polish off its second consecutive undefeated conference season when it hosts Puget Sound next Saturday and travels to Lewis & Clark on April 12. The NWC championships are set for April 18-19 in Yakima, Wash.
Match scoresWinning two matches in doubles and four more in singles, the Whitman men's tennis team knocked off NCAA Div. I Portland State Sunday afternoon on the Stott Center Courts in Portland, Ore.
On a day when Whitman split its roster in two and won three of four matches in the Portland area, the victory over Portland State helped run Whitman's season record to 17-9. The Vikings, who had already dropped seven decisions this spring to cross-town rival University of Portland, slipped to 4-11 on the season.
Playing according to Division I rules, where only one team point is awarded in doubles, Whitman snagged the early lead by winning two of three matches in doubles. The Solomon Brothers, Daniel and Matt, battled for a 9-7 victory won in the No. 1 slot. Justin Hayashi and Jasper Follows posted an 8-3 win at No. 3.
Matt Solomon at No. 1 singles and Daniel Solomon at No. 2 added straight-set victories. Whitman also got three-set comeback wins from Jake Cappel at No. 4 and Christoph Fuchs at No. 6. For Cappel, it was his second singles victory of the day against an NCAA Div. I opponent. Dan Wilson dropped a close 6-4, 6-4 decision at No. 5 singles.
Match scoresIt was close but no cigar for the Whitman men's tennis team as it dropped a 4-2 decision to NCAA Div. I University of Portland Sunday morning in Portland, Ore.
The two teams started with singles, and after Portland clinched the team victory by winning four times, the doubles matches were not played. Division I rules, in effect for the match, award just one team point to the squad that wins at least two matches in doubles.
Whitman scored its two team points at No. 3, where Chris Bailey downed fellow freshman Bryan Thorp by a 6-4, 6-4 count, and at No. 4, where Jake Cappel won a battle of sophomores, beating Evan Schleining 6-3, 6-3.
Matt Solomon at No. 1 and Daniel Solomon at No. 2 got off to quick 4-1 starts in their matches before their opponents rallied to win. "This is a good Division I team, but all but one of the singles matches were close," Whitman coach Jeff Northam said. "Our guys played well and competed hard."
Match scoresWith Robert Rye posting his first victory of the season at No. 1 singles, a split Whitman men's tennis squad rolled to a 9-0 Northwest Conference victory over Pacific Sunday morning at the Tualatin Hills Tennis Center in Beaverton, Ore.
Rye, the lone senior on the Whitman roster, won in straight sets at No. 1 singles and teamed with sophomore David Deming for an 8-2 victory at No. 1 doubles. Deming also scored a 6-0, 6-0 triumph at No. 2 singles.
Rye, Deming and Co. left for Newberg, Ore., after the match to face George Fox in a second NWC match later in the day. Meanwhile, a second group of Whitman players is in Portland today to face a pair of NCAA Div. I teams, Portland State and the University of Portland.
The Pacific victory ran Whitman's record to 13-0 in the NWC. Nine of those victories have come by 9-0 scores. The loss dropped Pacific to 1-12 in conference play.
Other winners in singles for Whitman were freshman Quin Miller at No. 3, sophomore Thomas Roston at No. 4, freshman Jon Tat at No. 5, and junior Reid Bennett at No. 6. Roston had the toughest battle, beating Nhat Nguyen 6-4, 7-6 (7-2).
Roston and Miller combined forces for an 8-4 victory at No. 2 doubles. Bennett teamed with freshman Matt Goldfogel for an 8-3 win at No. 3 doubles.
Match scoresPlaying its second match of the day, the Whitman men's tennis team won its 30th consecutive Northwest Conference regular season decision with a 7-2 victory over Linfield Saturday evening in McMinnville, Ore.
Now 12-0 in the NWC and 14-8 overall this season, Whitman has four more matches set for Sunday. Part of the roster will go back-to-back against Pacific and George Fox, two conference foes, while the other half of the roster faces two NCAA Div. I opponents, Portland State and the University of Portland.
Whitman downed Linfield (8-7, 8-4 NWC) by winning two of three matches in doubles and five of six in singles. All nine matches were competitive.
Brothers Matt and Daniel Solomon won the tie-breaker for a 9-8 victory at No. 1 doubles, and Jasper Follows and Justin Hayashi eked out a 9-7 triumph at No. 3 doubles.
In singles, Linfield scored its lone team point at No. 1, where Nick Ruess rallied for a 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory over Matt Solomon. Whitman won the remaining five matches in singles, although none were easy. Freshman Chris Bailey stayed perfect against NWC foes, running his singles record to 10-0 with a three-set comeback at No. 4.
Other winners in singles, all in straight sets, were Daniel Solomon at No. 2, Jake Cappel at No. 3, Dan Wilson at No. 5, and Christoph Fuchs at No. 6. Both Wilson and Fuchs captured one of their two sets on a tie-breakers.
Match scoresShutting out Willamette for the second time this season, Whitman knocked off the Bearcats 9-0 Saturday morning at the Courthouse Tennis Club in Salem, Ore.
Whitman, ranked No. 18 in the latest NCAA Div. III national rankings, ran its Northwest Conference-leading record to 11-0 (13-8 overall). Willamette fell to 5-6 in conference and 5-7 on the season.
With five more matches slated through Sunday, Whitman juggled its line-up against the Bearcats but still rolled to its eighth NWC shutout of the season. Willamette fell behind 3-0 at the start by dropping all three matches in doubles, falling by scores of 8-4, 8-6 and 8-5.
The most competitive match in singles came at No. 1, where freshman Chris Bailey was a winner in his first college match in the top spot. Bailey, now 9-0 overall in NWC singles, rallied for a 3-6, 6-3, 11-9 victory over Willamette senior Eric MacMillan.
At No. 2 singles, sophomore Jake Cappel elevated his NWC singles record to 8-1 with a 7-5, 6-2 victory over sophomore Micah Mack. The results were similar in a battle of sophomores at No. 6, where David Deming downed Luke Lagattuta 6-2, 7-5.
Junior Daniel Solomon at No. 3 and sophomores Nadeem Kassam at No. 4 and Jasper Follows at No. 5 completed the Whitman sweep in singles. All three players won in two quick sets. Solomon stayed perfect in conference singles play, improving to 6-0.
In doubles, Solomon teamed with younger brother Matt Solomon for the victory in the No. 1 slot. Follows teamed with junior Justin Hayashi for the win at No. 2, raising their NWC record to 6-0. Junior Christoph Fuchs and freshman Quin Miller were the winners at No. 3 doubles.
Whitman, which has won its last 29 NWC regular season matches, continues conference play later this afternoon against Linfield in McMinnville, Ore. On Sunday, Whitman will split its roster in two to play four matches, including two against a pair of NCAA Div. I opponents (University of Portland, Portland State).
Match scoresEnding its Spring Break trip to California on a positive note, the Whitman men's tennis team rolled over the College of New Jersey 6-1 in Saturday afternoon's final round of the Stag-Hen Invitational continued in Claremont, Calif.
Whitman, ranked No. 16 nationally, won two of three matches in doubles to get the early jump against the 25th-ranked Lions. The Brothers Solomon (Matt and Daniel) were 8-4 victors at No. 1, and Justin Hayashi and Jasper Follows won by the same count at No. 3. Robert Rye and Jake Cappel came up just short at No. 2 doubles, losing 8-6.
When Whitman picked off the first four decisions in singles (winning in straight sets in each case) to extend its lead in the team scoring to 6-1, the final two matches at No. 1 and No. 5 singles were not started or played to completion.
Cappel, a sophomore, had an easy time at No. 4 singles, beating College of New Jersey senior Eric Ferriere 6-0, 6-2. Daniel Solomon lost just three games in his victory at No. 2. Other Whitman winners were freshman Chris Bailey at No. 3 and Hayashi at No. 6.
In a battle of nationally ranked singles players, No. 15 Matt Solomon took a 7-6 first-set decision from No. 10 Michael Greenberg. The match was not completed when Whitman clinched the team triumph. Dan Wilson's match at No. 5 singles was not started.
Whitman, which is 10-0 in Northwest Conference matches, returns to league play later this month with matches on Saturday, March 29, at Willamette and Linfield.
Match scoresBouncing back from a pair of tough losses to highly ranked opponents, the Whitman men's tennis team got back on the winning track with a 5-4 victory over the University of Texas-Tyler Saturday morning as the Stag-Hen Invitational continued in Claremont, Calif.
Brothers Daniel and Matt Solomon won 8-6 for Whitman at No. 1 doubles, but the Patriots captured the two remaining matches in doubles to carry a 2-1 lead into singles. Whitman pulled out the team triumph, improving to 11-8 on the season, by taking four of the six decisions in singles.
Matt Solomon, who carries a No. 15 national ranking, won at No. 1 singles, beating UT-Tyler freshman standout Robert Sajovich 7-6, 4-6, 6-3. One day earlier, Sajovich beat No. 17 Larry Wang, a junior at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.
Other winners in singles for Whitman, all in straight sets, were Daniel Solomon at No. 2, Jake Cappel at No. 4, and Dan Wilson at No. 5. Chris Bailey, a Whitman freshman, dropped a 1-6, 6-2, 7-6 decision to sophomore David Ashlock at No. 3.
The loss left UT-Tyler with a 9-5 season record. The victory moves Whitman into a final tournament match this afternoon against the College of New Jersey, which edged Pomona-Pitzer 5-4 earlier today.
Match scoresA trio of three-set losses in singles was the difference as the Whitman men's team dropped its second straight narrow decision to a nationally ranked opponent in Friday's opening round of Stag-Hen Invitational in the Los Angeles area.
The latest loss, a 7-2 setback in Claremont, Calif., came at the hands of No. 11 Kenyon College, which ran its season record to 11-0. Whitman, ranked No. 16 nationally, slipped to 10-8 overall.
Kenyon (Gambier, Ohio) got the early jump, winning all three matches in doubles. Whitman's Justin Hayashi and Jasper Follows nearly spoiled the sweep but lost a 9-8 squeaker at No. 3 doubles.
Whitman notched its two team points at No. 2 singles, where junior Daniel Solomon beat senior Greg Sussman, and at No. 3 singles, where freshman Chris Bailey downed sophomore Charlie Brody. Both victories came in straight sets.
Whitman sophomore Matt Solomon, who knocked off the No. 1 Redlands player on Thursday, got off to a strong start against Kenyon's No. 1, sophomore Michael Greenberg. But after Solomon won the opening set 7-6, Greenberg rallied to take the next two sets.
Whitman sophomores Jake Cappel and Dan Wilson lost in three sets. Cappel fell 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 at No. 4 while Wilson lost 6-3, 4-6, 6-0 at No. 5.
The eight-team Stag-Hen Invitational, co-hosted by Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Pomona-Pitzer, continues Saturday with each team playing two matches. Whitman squares off at 8:30 a.m. with the University of Texas-Tyler, which lost 7-2 to CMS on Friday. That loss dropped the Patriots to 8-4 on the season.
Whitman's second Saturday match, against an opponent to be determined, is set to start at 2:30 p.m.
Match scoresIn a battle between nationally ranked teams, the University of Redlands won more close decisions than it lost while posting a 7-2 men's tennis victory over visiting Whitman Thursday afternoon in Redlands, Calif.
Redlands, No. 15 in the most recent NCAA Div. III rankings, improved to 11-1 on the season. Whitman, ranked just behind Redlands at No. 16, saw its winning streak snapped at eight and its record record fall to 10-7.
Sophomore Matt Solomon had a hand in both Whitman team points. First, he and older brother Daniel Solomon scored an 8-4 victory at No. 1 doubles over two Redlands seniors, Eric Wagar and Ransom Cook. Solomon then squeezed past sophomore Matt Liebman 7-6 (9-7), 7-5 at No. 1 singles.
Redlands claimed decisions in the two remaining doubles matches to take the early 2-1 lead in the team scoring. Whitman senior Robert Rye and freshman Chris Bailey dropped a close 8-6 decision at No. 3 doubles, and sophomores Justin Hayashi and Jaspers came up short, 8-4, in the No. 2 slot.
At No. 4 singles, Redlands sophomore Michael Reading edged Bailey 7-6 (10-8), 7-5. Whitman sophomore Dan Wilson suffered a similar fate at No. 5, where he fell 7-5, 7-5 to Ransom.
At No. 3 singles, Whitman sophomore Jake Cappel lost 6-4, 6-3 to Aron Ouye, a Redlands junior. Wagar got the win for the Bulldogs at No. 2, beating Daniel Solomon 6-3, 6-2. David McCall, a Redlands freshman, was a 6-1, 6-3 winner over sophomore Jasper Follows at No. 6.
Last spring, Whitman edged Redlands 5-4 during its annual Spring Break trip to California. This year's trip continues Thursday when Whitman plays No. 12 Kenyon College (Gambier, Ohio) in the opening round of the Second Annual Stag-Hen Invitational in the Los Angeles area. Whitman and Kenyon, which is off to a 10-0 start, play at 1:30 p.m. on the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) courts.
CMS and Pomona-Pitzer are co-hosting the eight-team tournament, which concludes Saturday with each school playing two matches. Depending on opening round results, Whitman will play either CMS or the University of Texas-Tyler at 8:30 a.m. Saturday. Whitman's second Saturday match is set to start at 2:30 p.m.
Match scoresPutting its deep roster to good use, the Whitman men's tennis team wrapped up its "home-and-away" series with Whitworth with 7-2 and 9-0 victories over the Pirates Sunday in Spokane, Wash.
Whitman, now 10-0 in the Northwest Conference (with seven shutouts), used 11 players in Sunday's first match and nine in the nightcap. The losses dropped Whitworth to 8-4 in the NWC standings.
Sophomore Jake Cappel and freshman Chris Bailey were the only Whitman players who took the court for singles in both matches. In the opener, Cappel played at No. 2, beating Pirate senior Ed Anegon 6-2, 6-1, while Bailey was a 6-2, 6-2 winner at No. 3 at the expense of freshman Joe Wales. In the second match, Cappel and Bailey switched spots in the singles line-up and bested the same two Whitworth opponents in straight sets. Bailey extended his NWC singles record to 8-0.
Cappel also teamed with sophomore Nadeen Kassam for an 8-2 victory at No. 1 doubles in the second match. That keeps the twosome perfect with a 5-0 NWC doubles record.
Whitman juniors Justin Hayashi and Christoph Fuchs notched a pair of wins in doubles, although they played with different partners in both matches. Hayashi won twice at No. 2 doubles, teaming with sophomore Jasper Follows in the afternoon and sophomore Matt Solomon in the evening. Fuchs teamed with senior Robert Rye and sophomore Dan Wilson for two victories at No. 3 doubles. Hayashi and Follows are also 5-0 in doubles against NWC opponents.
Sunday's first match, with Whitman winning 7-2, was by far the more competitive of the two bouts. Daniel Solomon, a Whitman junior who normally plays No. 2 singles, moved up to No. 1 and rallied past Whitworth sophomore Josh Steele in three sets. Wilson also needed three sets to get back past senior Scott Donnell at No. 4. Wilson upped his conference singles record to 7-0; Dan Solomon is 5-0.
Whitworth scored its team points in the opener at No. 6 singles, where freshman Colin Zalewski outlasted Whitman sophomore David Deming 6-3, 4-6, 12-10, and at No. 1 doubles, where Anegon and freshman Brian Elliot upset the Solomon brothers by a 9-7 count.
In the nightcap, Whitman swept the doubles and then won each of the singles matches in straight sets. Follows at No. 4 and Rye at No. 6 got two of the wins singles, which leaves both players with 5-0 NWC records.
Whitman, ranked No. 16 nationally, heads to California later this week for a series of four Spring Break matches. The first of those matches comes Thursday at No. 15 Redlands.
Match 1 scoresThe Whitman men's tennis team, ranked No. 16 nationally, continued its dominating march through the Northwest Conference ranks with a 9-0 shutout of Lewis & Clark Saturday afternoon in Walla Walla.
Blanking its sixth consecutive opponent, Whitman ran its NWC record to 8-0 and has now won 26 consecutive regular season matches against conference foes. Saturday's loss dropped Lewis & Clark to 2-7 in the NWC standings.
With 11 players seeing court time, Whitman first swept the doubles and then won each of the six singles matches in straight sets. The afternoon's most competitive battle came at No. 1 singles, where Whitman sophomore Matt Solomon notched a 6-4, 6-4 victory. His opponent, Lewis & Clark sophomore George Allen, jumped in front 4-1 in the second set before Solomon stormed back to win five straight games and close out the match.
Freshman Chris Bailey and sophomore Dan Wilson were easy winners at No. 2 and No. 3 singles, respectively. Both players are now 6-0 in NWC singles action.
Sophomores Jasper Follows at No. 4 and David Deming at No. 6 also chalked up victories to stay undefeated in singles against conference opponents. Deming is 4-0 and Follows 3-0.
Robert Rye, the lone senior on Whitman's roster, posted a 6-2, 6-2 victory at No. 5 singles.
Follows and junior Justin Hayashi won 8-2 at No. 2 doubles, improving their NWC doubles record to 4-0. Sophomores Nadeem Kassam and Jake Cappel, after cruising to an 8-0 victory at No. 1 doubles, are also 4-0 in conference doubles play. Junior Christoph Fuchs and freshman Quin Miller completed the Whitman sweep in doubles with an 8-3 win in the No. 3 match.
Most of Saturday's match was played on the Whitman outdoor courts. The No. 5 and No. 6 singles matches were played in the nearby Bratton Tennis Center.
Whitman hits the road on Sunday, playing two NWC matches at Whitworth in Spokane, Wash. Lewis & Clark travels to Tacoma, Wash., next Friday and Saturday for matches at Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran.
Match scoresPlaying its second match of the day, the Whitman men’s tennis team again emerged victorious with a 9-0 shutout of Puget Sound Saturday afternoon in Tacoma, Wash. Whitman improved its Northwest Conference record to 7-0 (7-6 on the season) while the Loggers fell to 2-4 in the NWC.
Playing No. 1 singles for the second time this season, Whitman sophomore Jake Cappel posted a 6-0, 6-3 victory over Puget Sound junior Jamie Hosmer. Cappel has won both of his matches in the No. 1 slot and is 4-1 overall in conference singles play.
At No. 2 singles, sophomore Dan Wilson’s 6-1, 6-3 victory over Nick Amlund improved his perfect NWC singles record to 4-0.
Sophomore Justin Hayashi contributed to a pair of Whitman wins, beating Sam McCullough 6-1, 6-1 at No. 3 singles and teaming with sophomore Jasper Follows for an 8-0 victoiry at No. 2 doubles. Christoph Fuchs, a junior, was also a double-winner, downing Scooter Sabel 6-2, 6-3 at No. 4 singles and teaming with freshman Quin Miller for an 8-2 win at No. 3 doubles.
Puget Sound's Alex Harrison nearly forced a third set against Whitman senior Robert Rye before succumbing 6-4, 7-6 in the No. 6 singles match.
Whitman returns to NWC action next Saturday, March 8, when it hosts its only home match of the month. Lewis & Clark provides the opposition, starting at 1:30 p.m. on the outdoor courts (weather permitting). The match will be played in the Bratton Tennis Center if the weather dictates.
Match scoresCompleting its season sweep of the defending Northwest Conference champs, the Whitman men's tennis team rolled to a 9-0 victory over Pacific Lutheran Saturday morning in Tacoma, Wash. The match was moved from PLU's outdoor courts to the Puget Sound Tennis Pavilion because of inclement weather.
Whitman, ranked No. 15 nationally in NCAA Div. III, upped its NWC record to 6-0 as it heads into a Saturday afternoon match against Puget Sound. The Lutes slipped to 5-2 in conference play.
Whitman, which downed PLU 6-3 last month in Walla Walla, turned Saturday's re-match into a one-sided affair. Two matches in singles, however, were highly competitive. In a battle of star sophomores at No. 1, Matt Solomon rallied for a 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) victory. Sophomores also battled at No. 3, where Jake Cappel bounced back in three sets, beating Justin Peterson 2-6, 6-4, 6-2.
Other Whitman winners in singles were junior Daniel Solomon at No. 2, freshman Chris Bailey at No. 4, sophomore Dan Wilson at No. 5, and sophomore Japser Follows at No. 6.
In doubles, the most competitive match came at No. 2, where Cappel teamed with sophomore Nadeem Kassam for a touch-and-go 8-6 victory over Floyd and sophomore Michael Manser. At No. 1 doubles, Solomon brothers were 8-4 winners over Floyd and senior Justin Peterson. Follows and junior Justin Hayashi cruised to an 8-1 triumph at No. 3 doubles.
Whitman also beat PLU twice during the regular season last spring, but the Lutes turned the tables for a 6-3 victory in the NWC tournament title match. Both teams then advanced into the NCAA post-season.
Match scores
Blanking its third consecutive opponent and running its Northwest Conference record to 5-0, the Whitman men's tennis team rolled over Willamette 9-0 Saturday afternoon in a match played primarily outdoors.
With temperatures warming into the low 60s under sunny skies, the match started with the home team sweeping the three doubles matches on Whitman's outdoor courts. The top four matches in singles were also played on the four outdoor courts while the No. 5 and No. 6 singles were started simultaneously in the Bratton Tennis Center.
The most competitive match in doubles came at No. 1, where brothers Matt and Daniel Solomon worked for an 8-6 victory over Willamette's Micah Mack and Andrew Muragami. Matt Solomon, a sophomore, also had his hands full at No. 1 singles, where he rallied for a 6-7, 6-1, 6-3 victory over Bearcat senior Eric MacMillan.
Chris Bailey, a Whitman freshman, ran his NWC singles record to 4-0 with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Muragami in the No. 3 slot.
Daniel Solomon, a junior, improved his conference singles record to 3-0 with an easy 6-1, 6-1 victory at No. 2. Dan Wilson, a sophomore, also upped his NWC record to 3-0 with a 6-1, 6-4 win at No. 5.
Sophomores Jake Cappel and Nadeem Kassam, who teamed for an 8-3 victory at No. 2 doubles, each added a victory in singles. Cappel was a dominant 6-1, 6-0 victor at No. 4. Kassam, playing his first singles match of the season, won 6-1, 6-4 at No. 6.
Junior Justin Hayashi and sophomore Jasper Follows had little trouble at No. 3 doubles, winning 8-2.
Whitman, which has now won 23 consecutive NWC regular season matches, hits the road next weekend, playing a tennis twinbill on Saturday against Pacific Lutheran and Puget Sound in Tacoma. Willamette hosts George Fox on Friday and Lewis & Clark on Saturday.
Match scores
As part of its roster was playing Pacific in nearby Beaverton, the Whitman men's tennis team leveled George Fox 9-0 to run its Northwest Conference record to 4-0 Saturday afternoon in Newberg, Ore.
Brothers Matt and Dan Solomon led the sweep in doubles, winning 8-0 in the No. 1 match. Senior Robert Rye teamed with freshman Chris Bailey for an 8-1 victory at No. 2, and sophomore Dan Wilson and freshman Quin Miller won by the same score at No. 3.
In singles, three Whitman players -- Dan Solomon at No. 2, Bailey at No. 3 and freshman Jon Tat at No. 6 -- didn't lose a game in posting 6-0, 6-0 victories. Wilson was a 6-1, 6-0 winner at No. 4. Matt Solomon at No. 1 and Miller at No. 5 won by the same 6-3, 6-1 scores. Tat's victory came in his first appearance in a dual match as a collegian.
The Whitman-George Fox match was scheduled for a 3 p.m. start time on Saturday, one hour later than a second group of Whitman players started its match against Pacific at Beaverton's Tualatin Hills Tennis Center.
Whitman returns home next Saturday to host Willamette in a 10 a.m. NWC match.
Match scores
With only part of its roster on hand, the Whitman men's tennis team had more than enough firepower to roll over Pacific 9-0 Saturday afternoon at the Tualatin Hills Tennis Center in Beaverton, Ore.
Sophomore Jake Cappel paced the Whitman split squad, winning 6-1, 6-0 at No. 1 singles and teaming with sophomore Jasper Follows for an 8-1 victory at No. 1 doubles. Follows added a 6-1, 6-1 victory at No. 3 singles.
Junior Christoph Fuchs, the elder stateman of the Whitman contingent, won 6-0, 6-1 at No. 2 singles and joined with sophomore David Deming for an 8-1 triumph at No. 2 doubles. After winning at No. 3 doubles, sophomore Thomas Roston and freshman Matt Goldfogel were straight-set winners at No. 5 and No. 6 singles. Goldfogel picked up the win in his match dual match competition.
The Whitman-Pacific match was slated for a 2 p.m. start time on Saturday, one hour before a second group of Whitman players was to start its match against George Fox in Newberg, Ore.
Match scoresThe University of California-Santa Cruz, the defending national champs in NCAA Div. III men's tennis, outpointed Whitman 8-1 Saturday night as day two of the Pacific Northwest Indoors tournament came to a close after midnight in the Bratton Tennis Center.
UC-Santa Cruz, which blanked Linfield and Pacific Lutheran 9-0 earlier in the tournament, takes a 4-1 early season record into Sunday morning's tournament finale against Lewis-Clark State. That match starts at 10 a.m.
Whitman, ranked No. 15 nationally in NCAA Div. III, picked off its lone team point against UC-Santa Cruz in the No. 2 doubles match, where sophomores Nadeem Kassam and Jake Cappel notched a 9-8 (7-5) victory over two Banana Slug juniors, Max Liberty-Point and Ilya Gendelman.
Two matches in singles went to a third-set tiebreaker. In a battle of juniors at No. 2, Whitman's Dan Solomon dropped a 6-3, 6-7 (7-3), 10-3 decision to Max Ortiz. A pair of freshmen went three sets at No. 5, where Silvio Chiba got the best of Whitman's Chris Bailey by a 4-6, 6-4, 10-3 count.
Whitman, 2-0 in the Northwest Conference and 2-6 overall, returns to conference play next Saturday with matches at Pacific and George Fox.
Match scoresIn an early season battle of nationally ranked men's tennis teams, Whitman posted a 6-3 Northwest Conference victory over Pacific Lutheran Friday afternoon in the Bratton Tennis Center.
After beating Linfield 7-2 Friday morning, Whitman stayed on the courts and worked its way past Pacific Lutheran to run its NWC record to 2-0. Counting a perfect 16-0 mark last spring, Whitman has now won its last 20 regular season conference matches.
Whitman, ranked No. 15 nationally, took a 2-1 lead against No. 19 Pacific Lutheran by winning two of three matches in doubles. Sophomores Jake Cappel and Nadeem Kassam won 8-5 at No. 3, and junior Christoph Fuchs teamed with freshman Etienne Moshevich for an 8-2 victory at No. 3.
In the No. 1 doubles match, sophomore Matt Solomon and older brother Dan Solomon, a junior, were up 7-4 before Pacific Lutheran's Justin Larimore and Justin Peterson rallied for a 9-8 (7-2) win.
Whitman wrapped up the team victory by taking the first three decisions in singles. Dan Solomon at No. 2, Cappel at No. 4, and senior Robert Rye at No. 6 were all winners in straight sets.
After Pacific Lutheran sophomore Kevin Floyd pulled out a 6-4, 6-3 victory in the No. 1 singles match, the two teams traded wins in a pair of three-setters. Bailey won 6-3, 3-6, 10-5 for Whitman at No. 3, while Pacific Lutheran senior Jared Vidano rallied for a 1-6, 6-3, 10-8 win at No. 5.
Pacific Lutheran, 0-1 to start its season, will play the University of California-Santa Cruz later tonight (8 p.m. start) in non-conference match.
Saturday's action begins at 8 a.m. with Linfield playing Pacific Lutheran. Linfield battles UC-Santa Cruz at noon, and Pacific Lutheran tangles with Lewis-Clark State at 4 p.m. Whitman then plays UC-Santa Cruz, the nation's top-ranked team in NCAA Div. III, at 8 p.m. Saturday.
Match scoresThe Whitman men's tennis team, which rolled through the Northwest Conference regular season with a 16-0 mark last spring, opened a new conference slate with a 7-2 victory over Linfield Friday morning in the Bratton Tennis Center.
The victory also marked the opening of the Pacific Northwest Indoors, a five-team tournament Whitman is hosting through Sunday morning.
Ranked No. 15 in NCAA Div. III to start the season, Whitman got the early jump on Linfield, winning two of three matches in doubles. It extended its lead in the team scoring to 3-1 when Quin Miller, a freshman from nearby Kamiakin High School in Kennewick, Wash., posted his first collegiate dual match singles victory with a 6-4, 0-6, 10-8 triumph at No. 6.
Whitman then clinched the team triumph as sophomores Matt Solomon and Dan Wilson polished off wins in singles. Solomon won 6-3, 6-1 in the No. 1 match while Wilson rallied for a 5-7, 6-4, 10-6 victory at No. 4. Wilson fell behind 3-0 in his third-set tie-breaker before bouncing back to take 10 of the next 13 points.
Also winning in singles for Whitman were freshman Chris Bailey at No. 3 and sophomore David Deming at No. 5. Linfield scored its lone team point in singles when sophomore Kyle Anderson posted a 6-4, 6-4 win at No. 2.
In doubles, Solomon teamed with junior Justin Hayashi for an 8-4 victory at No. 1. Wilson and Deming were 9-7 winners at No. 3. Linfield got the point at No. 2 doubles, where junior Nick Ruess and freshman Brent Kingzett won 9-8 (7-4 in the tie-breaker).
Match scoresSunday, Feb. 3; Spokane, Wash.
Despite a good start in doubles, the Whitman men's tennis team failed to keep pace in singles and lost 6-1 to NCAA Div. I Gonzaga Sunday morning at the Spokane (Wash.) Racquet Club. Whitman, which has played three of its first four matches against Division I schools, fell to 0-5 on the season. Gonzaga evened its record at 3-3.
The Bulldogs won the doubles point by taking two of three matches, but Whitman came with a game or two or reversing that decision. Jasper Follows and Justin Hayashi won at No. 3, beating Cooper Fratt and Conor Feeney by a 9-8 score. Whitman's Brothers Solomom, Matt and Dan, lost by the same count at No. 1, falling to Stefan Feddersen (Antofagasta, Chile) and Roman Dojcak (Kosice, Slovakia). The Bulldogs also won at No. 2, where Charles Adams and Zack Radetzky downed Nadeem Kassam and Jack Cappel 8-5.
In singles, Whitman picked up its lone team point at No. 4, where freshman Chris Bailey rallied for a 2-6, 6-3, 10-4 victory over Pratt, a Bulldog senior. Whitman sophomore Dan Wilson staged a good battle at No. 5 singles, losing 7-5, 3-6, 10-3. Hayashi, a junior, lost 7-6, 6-1 at No. 6 to Adams, a Gonzaga senior.
Whitman plays its first home matches next Friday and Saturday when its hosts the Pacific Northwest Indoors in the Bratton Tennis Center. Whitman's first two matches on Friday, against Linfield at 8 a.m. and Pacific Lutheran at noon, will count in the Northwest Conference standings. Whitman also plays the University of California-Santa Cruz, the NCAA Div. III national champion, at 8 p.m. Saturday.
Whitman, which was 16-0 last spring during the NWC regular season, has won its last 18 conference regular season encounters.
Match scores
Saturday, Feb. 2; Cheney, Wash.
NCAA Div. I Eastern Washington University evened its record at 2-2 Saturday with a pair of home-court victories, one of them a 7-0 blanking of Whitman. The Eagles also knocked off the University of Nevada by a 5-2 count in Saturday action in Cheney, Wash.
Whitman, falling to 0-4 on the season, made its best showing in doubles. Junior Justin Hayashi and sophomore Jasper Follows scored a 9-8 triumph at No. 3, and sophomores Nadeem Kassam and Jake Cappel came close at No. 2, losing 8-6.
The doubles portion of the match was played according to NCAA Div. I rules, which awards just one point in the team scoring to the squad winning at least two of the matches.
Follows had Whitman's most competitive match in singles, falling 7-6, 6-0 at No. 6 to senior Jonathan Davis.
Whitman plays its third Division I opponent of its young season on Sunday when it battles Gonzaga in a 9 a.m. match.
Match scoresSaturday, Jan. 26; Lewiston, Idaho
Whitman was no match for University of Idaho, an NCAA Div. I school, in a Saturday afternoon contest played at the Lewis-Clark State courts in Lewiston, Idaho. The Vandals prevailed 7-0, winning all but the No. 1 doubles match.
Whitman, which split its roster in two and lost a pair of matches to Lewis-Clark State earlier in the day on Saturday, is 0-3 on the season. Idaho improved to 3-2.
Brothers Matt and Dan Solomon took the No. 1 doubles match, scoring an 8-3 victory over Andrey Potapkin, a freshman from Moscow, Russia, and Andrew Dobbs, a freshman from Dallas, Texas. Meanwhile, Idaho won at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles to claim the doubles team point.
Whitman sophomore Dan Wilson lost in three sets to Dobbs at No. 5 singles. Potapkin won in straight sets at No. 1 singles, as did Russian sophomore Stanislav Glukhov at No. 2. Other winners in singles for Idaho were Rob Chalkely (Solihull, England), Tim Huynh (Canberra, Australia) and Hugh McDonald (Toowoomba, Australia).
"Idaho is a much improved team this year," Whitman coach Jeff Northam said. "They were a handful, playing them right after we had played Lewis-Clark State."
Whitman hits the road next weekend to play two more Division I schools, Gonzaga and Eastern Washington.
Match scoresSaturday, Jan. 26; Lewiston, Idaho
After its strongest line-up dropped a narrow 4-3 decision to Lewis-Clark State earlier in the day, Whitman sent a second group of competitors into battle against many of the same Warrior players on Saturday afternoon. Lewis-Clark made it two victories in a row, winning this time by a 5-2 count in Lewiston, Idaho.
Justin Hayashi, a junior, notched Whitman's lone team point in singles, scoring a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Kevin Lee, a sophomore from Miri, Malaysia, at No. 4. Nadeem Kassam, a sophomore, lost in three sets at No. 5, falling 6-3, 4-6, 10-6 to Lewis-Clark State's Sebastian Kuhn, a sophomore from Marktoberdorf, Germany. At No. 6 singles, Whitman freshman Quin Miller lost 7-6, 6-4 to Arslan Mermut, a sophomore from Istanbul, Turkey.
Whitman picked off two victories in doubles, although the match was played according to NCAA Div. I rules, where only one team point is awarded to whichever side wins two (or three) decisions in doubles. Hayashi and sophomore teammate Jasper Follows won 8-3 at No. 2 doubles, and sophomores David Deming and Dan Wilson were victorious by the same score in the No. 3 slot.
Match scoresSaturday, Jan. 26; Lewiston, Idaho
Lewis-Clark State, an NAIA Div. I tennis powerhouse, rallied from an early deficit to squeeze past Whitman 4-3 Saturday morning in Lewiston, Idaho.
It was Whitman's first match of the season, and LCSC's first win of the season. The Warriors, a team that is consistently ranked in the NAIA Top 25 nationally, lost matches last weekend to Gonzaga and the University of Idaho, a pair of NCAA Div. I schools. Whitman was staying in Lewiston Saturday afternoon to play Idaho.
Whitman's match with LCSC was played under Division I rules, where a single team point is awarded in doubles to the team that wins two (or three) of the doubles matches. Whitman claimed that single point by winning at both No. 1 and No. 2 doubles, in each case by an 8-5 margin. Brothers Matt and Dan Solomon were the victors at No. 1 while Nadeem Kassam and Jake Cappel were winners at No. 2. Christoph Fuchs and Etienne Moshevich dropped an 8-2 decision at No. 3.
The Warriors, fielding a line-up with a wide-ranging international flavor, bounced back to win four of the six matches in singles to squeeze out the victory. With the team score even at 3-3, LCSC's Arslan Mermut, a sophomore from Istanbul, Turkey, outlasted Whitman sophomore Dan Wilson 6-4, 3-6, 14-12.
"All the way around, this match was just about as close as it could get," Whitman coach Jeff Northam said.
Whitman picked up its two victories in singles at No. 1 and No. 5. Matt Solomon, a sophomore, notched a 6-4, 6-4 win over Oliver Stone Sindayigaya, a freshman from Bujumbura, Burundi. Cappel, also a sophomore, rallied at No. 5 for a 2-6, 7-5, 10-6 victory over Sabastian Kuhn, a sophomore from Marktoberdorf, Germany.
Dan Solomon, a Whitman junior, dropped a close 7-5, 7-5 decision at No. 2 singles to Cedric Dufour, a junior from Evian, France. The match at No. 4 was also a battle, where Whitman freshman Chris Bailey fell 7-6, 6-4 to Ali Faris, a senior from Male, The Maldives. Moshevich, also a freshman, got off to a slow start at No. 3, losing 6-2, 6-4 to Kevin Lee, a sophomore from Miri, Malaysia.
Match scoresFriday, Oct. 12; Mobile, Ala.
Finishing on a winning note, Whitman's Matt Solomon and Etienne Moshevich posted a 7-5, 5-7, 1-0 (10-4) victory over Vassar's Max Willner and Gregory Katz to claim seventh place Friday afternoon in the NCAA Div. III doubles portion of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's National Small College Championships in Mobile, Ala.
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"We didn't play our best tennis, but we stuck with it and pulled out the win," Solomon said.
Solomon, a sophomore, and Moshevich, a freshman, opened play on Friday with a 6-1, 6-2 loss to one of top teams in the tournament, senior Ben Hough and junior Lawrence Wang of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. "The Claremont team is very good," Whitman coach Jeff Northan said. "They lost on a tiebreaker to the top seeds in the opening round. Otherwise, they could have just as easily won the tournament."
Middlebury's Filip Marinkovic and Andrew Thomson, the duo that beat Solomon and Moshevich on Thursday, won twice on Friday to claim the doubles title.
Solomon and Moshevich, one of the younger teams in the tournament, finished with two wins and two losses, and they leave Mobile's Copeland-Cox Tennis Center with ITA All-American honors on their tennis resumes. They qualified for the competition by winning the ITA's Northwest regional doubles title last month.
Solomon also won this year's regional crown in singles, but he lost a "play-in" match Wednesday and didn't advance into the main singles bracket.
For Solomon, the trip to the National Small College Championships was his second in two years. He teamed with Nadeem Kassam last fall to win the regional doubles title.
Winners in singles and doubles were also crowned Friday in the NCAA Div. II, NAIA, and junior college ranks. The winners from each division continue play this weekend in an event billed as the "Super Bowl" of small college tennis.
"This is such a unique event," Solomon said. "It's always a great experience."
Thursday, Oct. 11; Mobile, Ala.
Whitman's Matt Solomon and Etienne Moshevich slipped into the consolation bracket after dropping a 6-2, 6-2 decision to a doubles team from Vermont's Middlebury College in Thursday's quarterfinals of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's National Small College Championships in Mobile, Ala.
Middlebury's Filip Marinkovic and Andrew Thomson took charge early in both sets, Whitman coach Jeff Northam said.
"Matt and Etienne didn't play nearly as well today as they did yesterday," Northam said. "They had break points in both sets, but the other guys played big on those points. We just never quite got it going today."
Northam said the Middlebury doubles team should do well as the tournament continues. "They are a strong team, and Middlebury is traditionally one of the top Division III tennis programs in the nation."
Marinkovic, a senior, and Thomson, a sophomore, advance to a Thursday semifinal match against the bracket's top-seeded duo, Charlie Cutler and Chris Hoeland of Washington University (St. Louis, Mo.).
Solomon, a sophomore, and Moshevich, a freshman, play at noon Thursday in a consolation round match. Their opponents are from Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, senior Ben Hough and junior Lawrence Wang. "This will be another tough match for us," Northam said. "Claremont lost its match today in three sets to the top seeds from Wash U."
Win or lose, Solomon and Moshevich will play a second match at 3 p.m. Thursday. If they win their first match, they will play for fifth place in the second contest.
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Wednesday, Oct. 10; Mobile, Ala.
Matt Solomon and Etienne Moshevich kept Whitman hopes alive Wednesday afternoon, posting a solid 7-5, 6-3 victory in a doubles "play-in" match at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's National Small College Championships at the Copeland-Cox Tennis Center in Mobile, Ala.
Solomon and Moshevich, down a service break early in the match, rallied past Trinity University's Cory Kowal and Bobby Cocanougher in straight sets.
"Matt and Etienne played solid tennis," Whitman coach Jeff Northam said. "They were down a service break early in the match, but they didn't hang their heads or get down on themselves. I was impressed with the way they competed from that point forward."
With the score even at 5-5, Solomon and Moshevich won the next two games to wrap up the first set. The Whitman duo then rode that momentum to a 4-0 lead in set two. After Moshevich held serve for a 5-2 cushion, Trinity won its next service game to pull to within 5-3. Solomon then served out the next game, and the match, to send the two Missionaries to Thursday's quarterfinals.
Solomon, a sophomore, and Moshevich, a freshman, play at 2:30 p.m. against a team from Vermont's Middleburgy College, senior Filip Marinkovic and sophomore Andrew Thomsen.
Solomon and Moshevich qualified for this week's tournament by winning the ITA's Northwest Regional doubles title last month. A year ago, Solomon and teammate Nadeem Kassam won the regional doubles title but then lost their "play-in" match at nationals in a close battle.
Earlier today, Solomon dropped his singles "play-in" match 6-4, 6-4 to Oliver Gaines, a senior at Trinity (San Antonio, Texas).
Wednesday, Oct. 10; Mobile, Ala.
One service break in each set was all it took to send Whitman sophomore Matt Solomon to a 6-4, 6-4 loss to Trinity senior Oliver Gaines in a "play-in" match Wednesday morning at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's National Small College Championships at the Copeland-Cox Tennis Center in Mobile, Ala.
"Matt played well," Whitman coach Jeff Northam said. "It was a very competitive match. The other guy served very well and didn't let Matt get any rhythm with his return. That probably was the difference in the match."
Gaines, who plays No. 1 singles at Trinity (San Antonio, Texas), advances to Thursday's quarterfinal round of the singles championship.
Meanwhile, Solomon and freshman teammate Etienne Moshevich play a doubles "play-in" match at noon today. Their opponents are Cory Kowal and Bobby Cocoanougher, two freshmen at Trinity, a longtime national powerhouse in NCAA Div. III men's tennis.
Solomon, who qualified for this week's tournament by winning the ITA's Northwest Regional singles title last month, had a break point against Gaines early in their first set. But Gaines held serve and later broke Solomon at 2-2 en route to taking the first game.
The two players stayed on serve through 4-4 in the second set before Gaines broke Solomon for a 5-4 lead. Gaines then held serve one final time to close out the match.
Sunday, Sept. 23; McMinnville, Ore.
After winning the singles title earlier in the day, Whitman sophomore Matt Solomon teamed with Missionary freshman Etienne Moshevich to capture the doubles crown Sunday afternoon as the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Pacific Northwest Regional Championships came to a close in McMinnville, Ore.
In an all-Whitman conclusion to an all-Whitman day, Solomon and Moshevich eked out a 9-8 victory over a second Missionary team, sophomores Nadeem Kassam and Jake Cappel. Solomon and Moshevich won the deciding last game by a 7-4 score.
"It was a great match -- about as close as it could be," Whitman coach Jeff Northam said. "It was close from start to finish."
As the PNW regional champs, Solomon and Moshevich will travel to Mobile, Ala., in October for the ITA's Small College Championships. Solomon will play two matches on Wednesday, Oct. 10, first in singles and then with Moshevich in doubles. Both matches will be against winners of the Southwest regional, which takes place next weekend in Abilene, Texas. Winners of those two matches will continue to play that week against other regional winners from around the country.
A year ago as freshmen, Solomon and Kassam won the Northwest doubles title and then dropped a close decision to the Southwest regional winners. Whitman's Phalkun Mam, who graduated last spring, won last fall's singles title, beat the Southwest regional winner and then finished fifth in the Small College Championships.
While Whitman swept the regional singles and doubles for a second consecutive year, it dominated this weekend's competition to a far greater extent than a year ago. All 12 Whitman entries in singles advanced to the Round of 16, and seven of the eight quarterfinal slots were filled by Missionaries. All four semifinalists in singles were Whitman players.
"We were truly blessed this weekend," Northam said. "What a great few days this has been for Whitman tennis."
It wasn't easy, but Whitman sophomore Matt Solomon scrambled past two of his teammates to capture the singles title Sunday at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Pacific Northwest Regional Championships in McMinnville, Ore.
Solomon was one of four Missionaries who found themselves battling one another in the Sunday morning semifinals. Solomon beat freshman Etienne Moshevich 6-7 (8-6), 6-2, 7-5 in his semifinal, and then dispatched freshman Chris Bailey 7-5, 6-2 to win the singles crown. Bailey advanced to the finals with a 1-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 semifinal comeback over sophomore Jake Cappel.
Each of the two semifinal matches took more than three hours to complete.
Following a brief rest, Solomon and Moshevich will face Cappel and Whitman sophomore Nadeem Kassam in the doubles final.
A year ago, Solomon and Kassam joined forces as freshmen to the win regional doubles title.
Winners of both the singles and doubles titles advance to the ITA's Small College Championships in October.
Whitman thoroughly dominated this weekend's tournament, moving all 12 of its entries into the Round of 16 in singles and then claiming seven of eight slots in the quarterfinals. The Missionaries then made Sunday an all-Whitman affair by winning both of Saturday night's semifinal matches in doubles.
Saturday, Sept. 22; McMinnville, Ore.
Whitman Missionaries were the only players left standing after the second day of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Pacific Northwest Regional Championships came to a close with semifinal matches in the doubles bracket Saturday evening in McMinnville, Ore.
Whitman's Matt Solomon and Etienne Moshevich, the top seeds in doubles, tallied an 8-5 victory in one of the semifinals, beating Linfield's Wes Gabrielson and Mark Madaong, the No. 5 seeds.
In the other semi, fourth-seeded Missionaries Nadeem Kassam and Jake Cappel pinned an 8-3 loss on Pacific Lutheran's Justin Larimore and Justin Peterson, the No. 2 seeds.
Earlier today, four Whitman players advanced to Sunday morning's semifinals in singles. Those matches, which begin at 9 a.m., pit Solomon and Moshevich in one match, with Cappel playing Chris Bailey in the other. Solomon and Cappel are sophomores while Moshevich and Bailey are freshmen.
Following the singles semifinals and a short break, the two winners will play for the singles title. The doubles final will follow after that.
The tournament's singles and doubles champions will advance to the ITA's Small College Championships in October. A year ago, Solomon and Kassam teamed up to win the regional doubles title as freshmen, while then Whitman senior Phalkun Mam captured the singles title.
Whitman coach Jeff Northam expected to see his team do well in this weekend's tournament, but he was just a little stunned to see the Missionaries corner the market on Sunday's finals. "This has been one of those unexpected but very gratifying days," he said. "There was no way to predict that we would do this well."
"At the same time, our guys have been working very hard," Northam added. "After we lost the conference title to Pacific Lutheran last spring, they decided to work harder than ever in practice and with their conditioning. It's great to see all of their hard work pay off."
With its players filling seven of eight slots in Saturday afternoon's singles quarterfinals, Whitman continued its dominant march through the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Pacific Northwest Regional Championships in McMinnville, Ore.
Three of the four quarterfinal matches were all-Whitman affairs. In one match, second-seeded Matt Solomon downed teammate Nadeem Kassam 6-0, 6-1 in a battle of Missionary sophomores.
Sophomore Jake Cappel, the No. 4 seed, beat freshman teammate Quin Miller 6-2, 6-3. Freshman Chris Bailey, the No. 12 seed, got past Missionary sophomore Jasper Follows 6-2, 6-4.
In the fourth quarterfinal, Whitman sophomore and No. 10 seed Etienne Moshevich notched a 6-2, 7-6 (7-1) victory over the No. 3 seed, Pacific Lutheran's Justin Larimore.
The all-Whitman semifinal matches in singles start at 9 a.m. Sunday with the title match to follow at noon. The winner advances to the ITA's Small College Championships in October.
Whitman's top two entries in the doubles bracket won Saturday afternoon matches to advance to semifinal showdowns set for later tonight at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Pacific Northwest Regional Championships in McMinnville, Ore.
Sophomore Matt Solomon and freshman Etienne Moshevich, the top seeds in the doubles bracket, advanced with an 8-5 victory over the No. 6 seeds, Willamette's Andrew Murakami and Micah Mack.
Sophomores Nadeem Kassam and Jake Cappel, the No. 4 seeds, won 8-3 over Linfield's Matt Kauffman and Kyle Anderson. Kassam and Cappel will face the No. 2 seeds, Pacific Lutheran's Justin Larimore and Justin Peterson, in one of tonight's semifinals matches. Larimore and Peterson scored an 8-5 victory over Whitman sophomores David Deming and Dan Wilson in the quarterfinals.
Chris Bailey, one of Whitman's talented freshmen, notched an impressive 6-3, 6-2 victory over Pacific Lutheran's Kevin Floyd, the top-seeded player in the singles bracket, as third-round action got underway Saturday morning at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Pacific Northwest Regional Championships in McMinnville, Ore.
Jake Cappel, a Whitman sophomore and the tournament's No. 4 seed, knocked off Pacific Lutheran's Michael Manser, the No. 9 seed, by a count of 7-5, 6-1. Missionary freshman Etienne Moshevich, the 10th seed, won 6-3, 6-3 at the expense of the No. 15 seed, Linfield's Nick Ruess.
Sophomore Matt Solomon, the No. 2 seed, advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over senior teammate Robert Rye.
In three other matches pitting Whitman players against each other, sophomore Nadeem Kassam beat junior Justin Hayashi 6-2, 6-4; sophomore Jasper Follows downed David Deming 6-0, 6-1; and freshman Quin Miller outlasted sophomore Dan Wilson 7-6 (7-1), 4-6, 6-2.
Whitman junior Christoph Fuchs lost in three sets to Pacific Lutheran's third-seeded Justin Larimore, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.
When today's Round of 16 got underway, 12 of the 16 surviving players were members of the Whitman squad. All 12 Whitman entries swept through the first two rounds of singles play on Friday without suffering a single defeat.
Friday, Sept. 21; McMinnville, Ore.
The Whitman men's tennis team put the finishing touches on a long yet very successful day/night by winning three of five matches in the second round of doubles at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Northwest Regional Championships in McMinnville, Ore.
Matt Solomon and Etienne Moshevich, the tournament's top seeds in doubles, posted an 8-0 victory over a Geore Fox duo, Shawn McKenzie and Nick Jenness. Jake Cappel and Nadeem Kassam, seeded No. 4 in the doubles bracket, won 8-5 over Whitworth's Brian Eliot and Colin Zaelewski.
Dan Wilson and David Deming also advanced with an 8-4 victory over the No. 7 seeds, Linfield's Nick Ruess and Brent Kingzett.
The two remaining Whitman doubles teams lost to seeded opponents. Christoph Fuchs and Justin Hayashi fell 8-2 to the No. 5 seeds, Linfield's Wes Gabrielson and Mark Magdaong. Two Whitman freshmen, Chris Bailey and Quin Miller, dropped an 8-5 decision to the tournament's No. 2 seeds, Pacific Lutheran's Justin Larimore and Justin Peterson.
Play resumes in both singles and doubles on Saturday. Championship matches in both brackets are slated for Sunday, with winners advancing to the ITA's Small College Championships in October.
A year ago, Solomon and Kassam won the regional tournament's doubles title. Whitman's Phalkun Mam, who graduated last spring, won the singles title.
Taking up where it left off in singles, Whitman got off to a strong start in doubles late Friday afternoon, winning five of its six matches as the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Northwest Regional Championships continued in McMinnville, Ore.
Sophomore Matt Solomon and freshman Etienne Moshevich, the No. 1 seeds in the doubles bracket, scored an 8-0 opening round victory over Pacific Lutheran's Tony Silvestrin and Scott Sheldon. The No. 4 seeds, sophomores Nadeem Kassam and Jake Cappel, won 8-1 over a second Pacific Lutheran duo, James Odan and John DeMars.
As a doubles tandem at last year's ITA regional championships, Solomon and Kassam swept through the field to claim the doubles title and advance to the ITA Small College Championships.
Whitman juniors Christoph Fuchs and Justin Hayashi also scored an 8-1 victory in Friday's first round, beating Puget Sound's Phil Munsterman and Scooter Sable. Sophomores Dan Wilson and David Deming pitched a shutout, winning 8-0 against Willamette's Nathan Ramos and Fitz Paccione.
Missionary freshmen Chris Bailey and Quin Miller survived a tough battle, beating Whitworth's Scott Donnell and Brian Eliot by a 9-7 count. Whitman's only loss came when senior Robert Rye and sophomore Jasper Follows dropped an 8-4 decision to Willamette's Andrew Murakami and Micah Mack.
The score was Whitman 24, Everyone Else 0 as the first two rounds of singles concluded Friday afternoon at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Northwest Regional Championships in McMinnville, Ore.
All 12 Whitman entries in the singles bracket won their second-round matches, which means that Missionaries occupy three-quarters of the slots in the Round of 16. Singles play resumes Saturday morning. Meanwhile, doubles play was underway late this afternoon (results not yet available).
"We have a deep, talented roster, but I would not have guessed that all 12 of our guys would advance through the first two rounds," Whitman coach Jeff Northam said. "It's kind of a dream come true."
Jasper Follows, a sophomore, registered one of the second round's more impressive victories with a three-set triumph -- 5-7, 6-2, 1-0 (10-5) -- over Linfield's Kyle Anderson, who was the tournament's fifth seed. David Deming, another Whitman sophomore, knocked off Whitworth's Josh Steele, the No. 16 seed, by scores of 6-3, 6-3.
Sophomore Matt Solomon, seeded second in the singles bracket, won in straight sets (6-1, 6-3) over Willamette's Micah Mack. Fourth-seeded Jake Cappel, another member of Whitman's strong sophomore class, cruised to a 6-0, 6-2 victory over George Fox's Scott Barnett.
Etienne Moshevich and Chris Bailey, two Whitman freshmen who drew tournament seeds, rolled into the third round. No. 10 Moshevich beat Lewis & Clark's George Allen 6-1, 6-2, while No. 12 Bailey got past Pacific Lutheran's Tony Silvestrin 6-3, 6-2. Bailey faces Pacific Lutheran's Kevin Floyd, the top seed, in Saturday's third round.
Quin Miller, a third Whitman freshman, beat Whitworth's Scott Donnell 6-0, 6-3. Robert Rye, the lone senior on Whitman's roster, edged Pacific Lutheran's Justin Peterson 6-4, 7-6 (7-4).
Two Whitman juniors, Christoph Fuchs and Justin Hayashi, got straight-set wins over two Linfield players. Fuchs downed Brent Kingzett 6-4, 6-3 while Hayashi beat Matt Levering 6-4, 7-6 (9-7). Sophomore Dan Wilson completed the clean Missionary sweep with a 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) victory over Pacific Lutheran's James Crosetto.
The Whitman men's tennis team got off to a great start Friday morning in the singles portion of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Northwest Regional Championships, which are taking place in McMinnville, Ore. All 12 Missionaries entered in the 64-player singles bracket were winners in the opening round.
Whitman sophomore Matt Solomon, the No. 2 seed, didn't lose a game in winning 6-0, 6-0 over Pacific's Ryan Ford. Jake Cappel, also a sophomore and the No. 4 seed, knocked off Pacific Lutheran's John DeMars 6-3, 6-0.
Two seeded Missionary freshmen joined the victory parade. No. 10 Etienne Moshevich rolled over Linfield's Tal DeWitt 6-0, 6-1, and 12th-seeded Chris Bailey downed Willamette's Matt Houser 6-2, 6-2. Quin Miller, a third Whitman freshman, pulled off an upset, posting a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Willamette's Eric MacMillan, the No. 14 seed.
Robert Rye, the only senior on the Missionary roster, was a 6-0, 6-4 winner over Ralf Schulz of George Fox. Juniors Christoph Fuchs and Justin Hayashi added two more victories. Fuchs beat Whitworth's Joe Wales 6-4, 6-2, and Hayashi rallied for a 2-6, 7-6 (8-6), 1-0 (10-8) triumph over Linfield's Mark Magdaong.
Other sophomores advancing to the second round were David Deming (6-2, 6-2 over Linfield's Tal Edman), Dan Wilson (6-3, 6-1 over George Fox's Shawn McKenzie), Nadeem Kassam (6-2, 6-1 over Whitworth's Brian Elliot), and Jasper Follows (6-1, 6-0 over Pacific's Michael Okada).
The second round of singles takes place this afternoon. The first round of doubles play follows later today.
The ITA regional championships continue through Sunday. Winners in singles and doubles advance to the ITA Small College Championships in October. A year ago, Solomon and Kassam won the doubles title as freshmen, and then senior Phalkun Mam was victorious in singles.
Friday, Sept. 21; Beaverton, Ore.
Four members of the Whitman men's tennis team tallied opening round victories in the second flight of singles play on Friday as the Portland Collegiates tournament got underway at the Tualatin Hills Tennis Club in Beaverton, Ore.
In all four cases, Whitman players advanced by beating counterparts from Northwest Conference rival Linfield. Missionary sophomore Dan Wilson had the toughest battle, besting Nick Ruess 6-1, 4-6, 1-0 (10-4). Junior Christoph Fuchs knocked off Matt Levering 6-2, 6-3 while senior Robert Rye downed Mark Magdaong 6-1, 6-2. Sophomore David Deming was a 6-2, 6-2 winner over Rich Minice.
Matt Solomon, Whitman's top player in singles, entered the more competitive first flight of singles, losing 7-6, 6-2 to the University of Portland's Dillon Pottish.
In doubles action Friday, Solomon and Fuchs opened with an 8-1 victory over a Linfield duo before losing 8-5 to a doubles combo from Eastern Washington University. Wilson and Deming also got past two Linfield players in the first round, winning 8-2, before falling 8-5 to the top-seeded doubles team, the University of Portland's Joel Kincaid and Evan Schleining.
Rye teamed with the University of Idaho's Brandon Christopher for the doubles competition. After scoring an 8-4 victory of a pair of Portland State opponents, Rye and Christopher fell 8-4 to a team from Gonzaga.
The University of Portland and Portland State are co-hosting the tournament, which continues Saturday and Sunday.
Saturday & Sunday, Sept. 22-23; Beaverton, Ore.
Senior Robert Rye and sophomore Dan Wilson added a few more victories to Whitman win total as play continued Saturday and Sunday in the second flight of singles play at the Portland Collegiates tournament at the Tualatin Hills Tennis Club in Beaverton, Ore.
After netting a 1-6, 7-6, 6-4 victory over Portland State's Jeff Cero, Rye added a quarterfinals triumph, beating University of Idaho senior Brandon Christopher 6-2, 4-6, 7-6. In the semfinals, however, Rye dropped a 6-2, 6-3 decision to the University of Portland's Bryan Thorp.
Wilson also won in the Round of 16, downing Portland State's Alex Hart 6-4, 6-1. Wilson then lost 6-4, 6-2 to Eastern Washington's Kyle Cruzet in the quarterfinals.
Two other Whitman players dropped their first matches Saturday. Junior Christoph Fuchs fell 6-2, 6-4 to Cruzet, and sophomore David Deming lost 6-3, 6-2 to Thorp.