By: Cody Wright
SPOKANE, Wash. – The Whitworth women's tennis team will head to Oregon this weekend to battle a pair of Northwest Conference opponents. The Pirates visit Linfield on Saturday before facing George Fox on Sunday. Both matches are set to begin at 11:00am.
Check the women's tennis schedule for live updates on all the weekend's action.
The Pirates: Whitworth (1-3 overall, 1-2 NWC) split a pair of conference matches last weekend at Scotford Tennis Center.
The Pirates fell 5-2 to Pacific on Saturday. The Boxers earned the doubled decision with two narrow wins in the first two doubles matches. Olivia Corbett and Audrey Judson got a 6-3 win in the #3 slot. Whitworth's first point of the match was delivered by Gracie Smyley, who earned a 6-0, 6-3 win in the #2 singles match. Corbett got her first win of the season in a three-set battle 7-5, 1-6, 1-0 (11-9). Morgan McArthur also got her first action of the season in the #6 singles match.
On Saturday, the Pirates beat Willamette 6-1 for their first win of the season. The Bucs swept the doubles matches in dominant fashion and took five of six singles matches. Gracie Smyley paired with Clara Todd for a 6-1 win in the first doubles match. Smyley went on to win 6-0, 6-2 in the #1 singles match and was named NWC women's tennis Student-Athlete of the Week for her weekend performances. Faith Kert and Paige Oliver earned their first singles wins of the season and Libertad Sarmiento got a 6-0, 6-4 win in her first competition of the season.
The Opponents: Linfield hosts Whitworth with a 1-4 overall record and 1-3 mark in the Northwest Conference. Last weekend, the Wildcats fell 5-2 to Lewis & Clark before a 5-2 win over Puget Sound. Senior Emma Tuttle played in the #1 singles match the last two matches and has a 1-1 record. Tuttle and sophomore Kaitlynn Canubida have a 2-0 record as the #1doubles pairing. Canubida is on a two-match win streak in the #2 singles slot. The Pirates have won one of the last five meetings with Linfield, the lone win being a 5-4 victory in Spokane last season.
George Fox is off to a 4-0 (3-0 NWC) start to the season after sweeping Puget Sound and earning a 5-2 win over Lewis & Clark last weekend. Sophomore Riley Bobkiewicz leads the Bruins in the #1 singles and doubles slot after being named NWC Rookie of the Year last season. Bobkiewicz is 3-1 in doubles matches paired with senior Kalli Walker, who earned first team All-NWC recognition in 2024. George Fox took down Whitworth in the previous two meetings, including a 6-3 win in Spokane at Scotford Tennis Center last season.
NWC Standings: George Fox leads the conference standings with a 3-0 record. Pacific (4-1) and Whitman (3-1) are close behind at second and third. Willamette is 1-1 and holds fourth place while Lewis & Clark (1-2) and Whitworth (1-2) are tied for fifth. Linfield (1-3) and Puget Sound (1-5) round out the standings.
The Coach: Rachel Aldridge is in her 11th year as Whitworth's head women's tennis coach after serving as an assistant from 2012-2014. The Pirates have a dual record of 89-88 during her tenure, including a 56-41 mark in Northwest Conference matches. Aldridge was a four-year standout player at Whitworth and earned first-team All-NWC honors each of her four years. She was selected by conference coaches as the NWC Sportswomen of the Year in 2011 and named NWC Player of the Year in 2011.
Looking ahead: Whitworth will return to Scotford Tennis Center to host Lewis & Clark on March 8th and Puget Sound on March 9th.
