Pirate Women Win Battle of Tennis Whits

News Release Date:
Saturday, April 17

WALLA WALLA, Wash. -- In a battle of women's tennis "Whits," it was Whitworth University overcoming Whitman College 5-3 in the Saturday afternoon finals of the Northwest Conference Championships at the Yakima (Wash.) Tennis Club. 

The victory earned Whitworth, now 19-4 on the season and ranked No. 7 in the West Region of NCAA Division III, its second straight appearance in the national championship field.

Whitman, the third seed in the tournament and ranked No. 10 regionally, made the finals with a hard-fought 5-4 victory over second-seeded Linfield College on Friday. 

Whitman, which ended it season with a 16-9 record, fell into an early hole against Whitworth by losing two of three matches in the opening round of doubles.

Alyssa Roberg

The lone team point for Whitman in doubles came in the No. 1 match, where first-year ace Elise Otto and junior Alyssa Roberg notched an 8-5 victory over Whitworth's Alli Marshall and Erica Bosman.

The Pirates won at No. 2, where Rachel Burns and Katie Staudinger cruised to an 8-3 win over Whitman seniors Hadley DeBree and Divneet Kaur, and at No. 3, where Mya Towne and Megan Wingfield beat sophomore Emily Rolston and first-year teammate Kate Kunkel-Patterson 8-5.

The two sides then split the first four decisions in singles to give Whitworth a 4-3 lead.

Elise Otto

Whitman winners were Otto, who got past Marshall 6-4, 6-2 at No. 2, and Kaur, who beat Bosman 6-2, 6-3 at No. 4.

Whitworth countered at No. 3, where Towne rolled to a 6-1, 6-0 win over DeBree, and at No. 5, where Staudinger downed Rolston 6-0, 6-3.

Wingfield then closed out the team victory for Whitworth with a 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) squeaker over Kunkel-Patterson at No. 6 singles.

The lone remaining match at No. 1 singles was not finished. Burns held at 7-6 (7-5), 4-1 lead over Roberg at the time. Roberg had led 6-5 in the first set before Burns

In post-season awards announced at the end of the tournament, Burns was one of eight players named to the All-NWC First Team, and she was also named Sportswoman of the Year.

Roberg and Otto netted All-NWC First Team honors for Whitman, and its second-year coach, John Hein, was voted women's Coach of the Year. 

Willamette's Natalia Agarycheva was named Player of the Year.

Others on the All-NWC First Team are Linfield's abby Olbrich and Sallie Katter, Lewis & Clark's Amalia Nilsson and Pacific's Cat Goya.

Whitworth's Marshall was voted to the All-NWC Second Team along with Lewis & Clark's Lisa Harunaga, Pacific's Megan Yoshimoto and George Fox's Molly Beaumont.

For complete match scores from the women's bracket, please click here for the tournament webpage.

- 30 - 

CONTACT: Dave Holden
Sports Information Director
Whitman College, Walla Walla, Wash.
509 527-5902; holden@whitman.edu