By: Cody Wright
SPOKANE, Wash. – The Whitworth women's tennis team jumps back into Northwest Conference play this weekend with a road trip to Oregon. The Pirates visit Pacific on Saturday at noon before a match at Willamette on Sunday at 10:00 am.
Check the women's tennis schedule for live updates on all the weekend's action.
The Pirates: Whitworth (6-6 overall, 4-4 Northwest Conference) went 3-0 on a non-conference trip to Texas this week.
The Pirates downed LeTourneau 5-2 to open the trip on Monday. Three commanding wins gave the Bucs the doubles decision. Jordan Turner-Esposito and Clara Todd dominated in the No. 2 match with a 6-0 sweep. Turner-Esposito earned a 6-4, 6-0 singles win and Faith Kert battled to a 7-6 (7-1), 6-2 victory. Audrey Judson clinched the match with a 6-1, 6-3 win in the No. 4 position.
On Tuesday, Whitworth edged East Texas Baptist 4-3. The Bucs claimed the doubles point with a 6-2 win from Smyley and Kert and a 6-1 win from Todd and Turner-Esposito. The singles matches were split 3-3 and Judson clinched the match for the second straight day with a 6-2, 6-4 win, this time in the No. 5 position. Paige Oliver returned to the lineup with a dominant 6-2, 6-0 win after an absence on Monday.
The Pirates closed the trip with a 4-3 win over Mary Hardin-Baylor on Wednesday. The Bucs swept the doubles matches, each by a score of 6-4. Morgan McArthur played in her first doubles match of the season alongside Oliver. Gracie Smyley claimed her first match point of the week after a withdrawal. Faith Kert took down her opponent 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 in a three-set battle before Judson clinched the match yet again with a 6-2, 7-5 win in the No. 5 position.
The Opponents: Pacific hosts Whitworth with an 8-4 overall record and 7-2 mark in the NWC. The Boxers host non-conference Hardin-Simmons University on Friday before the Pirates visit on Saturday. Senior Cassidy Binder, the 2024 NWC Player of the Year, leads the team as the No. 1 singles player with an undefeated 9-0 spring record. Binder has paired with freshman Chloe Takahashi in the previous six doubles contests and won each match. Whitworth has lost the last two matches against Pacific, including a 5-2 loss on February 22nd.
Willamette is 2-6 on the season and has played no non-conference opponents. The Bearcats have a doubleheader against Whitman on Saturday before hosting the Pirates on Sunday. No. 1 singles player Alexa de Crinis has not competed in the last five matches, leaving senior Richelle Suzuki to the first singles slot. Suzuki has paired with sophomore Eva Lief as the top Bearcat doubles duo. The Pirates have won 17 straight matches over Willamette, including a 6-1 win in on February 23rd in Spokane.
NWC Standings: Whitman is at the top of the standings with an 8-1 conference record. George Fox is second at 7-1 and Pacific is close behind (7-2). Whitworth (4-4) is alone in fourth. Lewis & Clark is now 4-5 and jumped into fifth. Willamette (2-6), Puget Sound (2-9) and Linfield (1-8) 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 95-91 during her tenure, including a 59-43 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 host their final home matches at Scotford Tennis Center against Linfield April 5th and George Fox April 6th.
