SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth men's tennis is on the road this weekend for a trio of crucial Northwest Conference matches. The Pirates are at Pacific on Friday, George Fox on Saturday, and Willamette on Sunday.

Check the scheduling page for live scores, statistics, and updates on the weekend's action.

The Pirates: Whitworth (4-10, 2-2 NWC) returned home from Orlando on March 28 after going 1-3 in Florida (including a pair of 5-4 losses). The Pirates could shift the entire outlook of their season this weekend; if they were to pull off a sweep, they may land themselves a spot in the conference tournament for the first time since 2016. That was the goal at the beginning of the season for first-year head coach Daniel Redfern.

Henry Preacher and Nathan Tjelle will have to play a big role if Whitworth is to accomplish that goal. Preacher (6-6) and Tjelle (6-4) are tied for the most wins on the team this season, and in doubles the duo has gone 5-5 (usually playing together in the top slot). Ethan Warring (6-8) has also played a big role, racking up a 3-1 record in the #2 singles spot and a 3-3 record in the #3 spot.

Whitworth is facing a tall task this weekend; they will need to pull off some true shockers against Pacific and George Fox. The Pirates have lost 13 straight against Pacific and have won just one set against the Boxers in the last three matches. The Pirates have lost six straight to George Fox including 9-0 losses in the last four. If they can manage to buck those trends on Friday and Saturday, they'll set themselves up for a conference finale against Willamette, a program they've won 12 straight against.

The Opponents: Pacific (4-9, 2-1 NWC) has lost four straight matches coming into the weekend, the Boxers will close their season with four straight conference matches. Pacific is led by Joshua Matabuena - a junior from Oakley, California and coached by Rayden Murata who's been with the program since 2017. The Boxers have made the conference tournament every year since 2013.

George Fox (5-9, 3-0 NWC) has played eight of its last nine matches against ranked opponents, they finished 1-7 against those ranked opponents but were competitive in a couple of those losses. The Bruins are led by Eli Mizerski who's 5-8 in the #1 position this season, Nanase Ebisu and Vahag Pashayan have paired up in the Bruins' top double spot.

Willamette (0-13, 0-5 NWC) have lost all but one outing, an exhibition match against Bellevue College which did not count on the schedule. The Bearcats have not won a match since March of 2019 in fact, but they will be looking to break that streak this weekend. Tyler Linscott has led both the men's and women's programs since 2022.

Looking ahead: Whitworth will close the 2024 season at home against Lewis & Clark State.