By: Cody Wright
SPOKANE, Wash. – The Whitworth University men's tennis team begins the second half of the Northwest Conference schedule this weekend. The Pirates host Whitman on Saturday at 2:00 pm before Lewis-Clark St. College visits for a non-conference rematch on Sunday at 11:00 am.
Check the men's tennis schedule for live updates on all the weekend's action.
The Pirates: For the third consecutive week, Whitworth (3-5 overall, 3-4 NWC) split two NWC matches last weekend.
The Pirates fell 6-1 to Lewis & Clark on Saturday. The Pioneers secured the doubles point with three wins, each in two sets. Lance Dunn got his first action of the season and competed in the No. 1 doubles position. Matthew Morrison fought his way to a 7-6 (7-3), 6-0 win in the No. singles spot for the lone Pirate point of the match. Landon LaBrie competed in the No. 6 singles match and fell 6-1, 6-4 in his first match of the season.
Whitworth bounced back with a narrow 4-3 win over Puget Sound on Sunday. The Bucs claimed the doubles point with wins in the second and third doubles positions. Landon LaBrie got his first win of the season 6-3, 6-4 and Matt Froslan put the Pirates ahead with a three-set (3-6, 6-1, 6-2) win. With the match knotted at three points apiece, Easton Weir dropped his first set but stormed back in the final two sets 6-4, 6-2 to clinch the match for Whitworth.
The Opponents: Whitman heads to Spokane with an unblemished conference record (7-0) and a 7-3 mark overall. Last weekend, the Blues swept Puget Sound on Saturday and took down Lewis & Clark 5-2. Sophomore Alexander Stage competes in the No. 1 position for the Blues and has a 5-0 conference singles record. Junior Cameron Yang plays in the No. 2 singles position and No. 3 doubles spot. Yang is on a four-match doubles win streak with partner Lucas Huang. The Pirates beat the Blues 5-4 on February 19th, 2024, the only win in the matchup dating back to 2012. Whitman defeated Whitworth 7-0 on February 15th this season.
Lewis-Clark St. College, an NAIA school, visits with a 6-7 overall record. The Warriors are coming off the Texas Wesleyan Invitational where they finished 2-2, including a win over 12th ranked William Woods. LC-St. will host Whitman on Saturday before making the trip to Spokane on Sunday. Freshman Pablo Herrera has played his way to the top singles spot and pairs with fellow first-year Giacomo Moreira in doubles. The Warriors have won eight consecutive matches over Whitworth, including a 6-1 loss on February 9th.
NWC Standings: Whitman remains at the top of the standings with a 7-0 conference record. George Fox (6-1) moved into second with Lewis & Clark (6-2) close behind. Pacific is fourth at 4-3 and Whitworth (3-4) remains in fifth. Linfield (2-5), Puget Sound (1-7) and Willamette (0-7) round out the standings.
The Coach: Daniel Redfern is in his second year as Pirate head coach after working as an assistant since 2019. In his first season, he led Whitworth to a 3-4 NWC record (5-13 overall). Redfern was a two-year standout for the Pirates, earning first team All-conference honors in 2011 and 2012 after transferring to Whitworth.
Looking ahead: The Pirates will make a mid-season trip to Texas for three games against American Southwest Conference opponents. Whitworth visits LeTourneau on March 24th, East Texas Baptist on March 25th, and Mary Hardin-Baylor on March 26th.
