By: Cody Wright
SPOKANE, Wash. – The Whitworth University men's tennis team returns to Scotford Tennis Center this weekend for a trio of matches. The Pirates host Pacific (Ore.) on Saturday at 11:00am before a non-conference match against Eastern Washington on Saturday evening at 5:00pm. Willamette will visit on Sunday at 11:00 am. Whitworth will also host an exhibition match against Bellevue Community College on Sunday at 4:00 pm.
Check the men's tennis schedule for live updates on next week's action.
The Pirates: Whitworth (3-9 overall, 3-6 NWC) were unable to come away with a win in a three-match spring break trip to Texas.
The Pirates opened the trip with a narrow 4-3 loss at Letourneau on Monday. Whitworth claimed the doubles point with a pair of wins in the No. 1 and No. 3 positions. Matt Hossack and Colby Cinqmars paired for the first time this season and took down their opponents 6-1. The first three singles matches went to a third set but none went the Pirates' way. Hossack and Landon LaBrie secured two wins to tie the match at three, but Cinqmars was defeated 6-2, 6-3 in the fifth slot resulting in a Yellowjacket win.
On Tuesday, the Bucs were swept by East Texas Baptist in Marshall. LaBrie competed in his first doubles match of the season and fell 6-2 alongside Froslan. The Tigers took each singles match in two sets. Ryan Ashley and Froslan battled to tiebreakers but could not extend their matches.
Whitworth closed the trip with a 5-2 loss at Mary Hardin-Baylor. The Crusaders took the doubles point with two wins. Colby Cinqmars and Froslan fought to a tiebreaker, but fell 7-6 (7-1). Morrison earned the first Pirate point with a tiebreaking 6-0, 5-7, 1-0 (10-5) three-set win. Ashley followed with another three-set comeback win to give Whitworth a 2-1 match lead. Weir also played to a third se but could not come away with a tiebreaking win. UMBH took the final three singles matches in two sets.
The Opponents: Pacific visits with a 5-7 overall record and 5-3 Northwest Conference mark. The Boxers wrap up their trip to San Antonio with a match at Trinity on Thursday before returning to the pacific northwest. Freshman Joshua Dela Cruz plays in the No. 1 singles position and pairs with Ryley Chang as the No. 2 doubles duo. Sophomores Jonathan Nguyen and Dawson Hose combine in the No. 1 doubles position. Whitworth has not beaten Pacific since 2013, including a 6-1 loss on February 22nd this season.
Division I Eastern Washington is 4-13 heading into its match against the Pirates. The Eagles battled NWC rival Whitman on March 1st and came away with a 5-2 win. Junior Tyler Waddock is the No. 1 singles player for EWU and has a 6-9 record in that position. Several different pairings have competed as the top doubles duo, with Tyer Dalos and Caden Kammerer leading the way with five completed matches (1-4). EWU has won each match against the Bucs since 2012, the latest being a sweep in 2023.
Willamette comes to Spokane with an 0-8 record on the season (0-7 NWC). The Bearcats have been swept in each match, including the first meeting with Whitworth on February 23rd this season. Junior AJ Avansino is the top singles player, who has an 0-8 record on the season. Zack Olander and Hudson Snyder make up the top doubles duo. Willamette will visit Whitman on Saturday before playing Whitworth on Sunday. The Pirates hold a 14-game winning streak over the Bearcats.
NWC Standings: Whitman is a perfect 8-0 in conference play to remain in first place. George Fox (7-1) is in second while Lewis & Clark (6-3) and Pacific are tied for third. Whitworth (3-6) is in fifth with Linfield (2-6), Puget Sound (2-8) and Willamette (0-8) trailing.
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 hit the road for the final time this season when they visit Linfield on April 5th and George Fox on April 6th.
