WALLA WALLA, Wash. – The Whitworth women's tennis season came to an end with a 5-2 loss to Lewis & Clark in the semifinals of the Northwest Conference tournament on Friday afternoon at Whitman College.
The Pirates finish 8-10 in 2013 after tying for third place in the NWC with a 7-5 record. The Pioneers improve to 15-4 and will take on top-seeded Whitman in the tournament final on Saturday morning.
Whitworth jumped out to a 2-1 lead after taking a pair of doubles matches. Saryn Mooney and Taylor Peña defeated Gillian Lowe and Aurora Garrison 8-4 at #1 doubles. Megan Wingfield and Morgan McDivitt topped Oliva Cornell and Claudia Lew 8-6 at #2 doubles.
L&C got its only doubles point when Isabelle Borris and Lisa Osepyan beat Caylee Lam and KC McConnell 8-4 at #3 doubles. Normally Jessi Steele would play at #3 for the Bucs, but she was still in transit to Walla Walla.
But the Pioneers quickly turned things around in singles play. Garrison beat Mooney 6-1, 6-2 at #1, while Cornell defeated Steele 6-2, 6-1 at #2.
Lew earned a 6-2, 6-2 win over Peña at #3 and Lowe topped Wingfield 6-3, 6-4 at #4 singles to clinch the team victory.
Whitman shut out Linfield 5-0 in the other semifinal on Friday. The match between the Missionaries and Pioneers on Saturday will determine the NWC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament.
