By: Cody Wright
SPOKANE, Wash. – The Whitworth women's tennis team returns to Scotford Tennis Center this weekend to wrap up the first half of the double round robin Northwest Conference schedule. The Pirates host Lewis & Clark on Saturday before Puget Sound comes to town on Sunday. Both matches are scheduled to start at 10:00am.
Check the women's tennis schedule for live updates on all the weekend's action.
The Pirates: Whitworth split two conference matches last week and moved to 2-4 overall and 2-3 in the NWC.
The Pirate women took down Linfield 6-1 on Saturday. Two of three doubles matches went to the Bucs to secure the doubles point. Audrey Judson and Olivia Corbett extended their winning streak to three. Five of six singles matches went Whitworth's way, all in two sets. Gracie Smyley and Corbett each won their third straight singles match in the No. 1 and No. 5 positions. Clara Todd dominated the No. 6 match in a 6-1, 6-0 win.
On Sunday, the Pirates fell 6-1 to George Fox. The Bruins took the doubles point after wins in the No. 2 and No. 3 matches. Gracie Smyley and Faith Kert earned a 6-4 win over the top GFU pair. Smyley continued her standout weekend with a 6-1, 6-1 win in the No. 1 singles match for the lone Pirate point. She is now on a four-match winning singles winning streak. Kert and Audrey Judson battled their opponents to a third set but could not close with a victory.
Smyley earned her second consecutive NWC women's tennis Student-Athlete of the Week after a perfect 4-0 weekend.
The Opponents: Lewis & Clark heads to Spokane with a 3-5 overall record and 2-2 mark against conference opponents. The Pioneers took down Puget Sound in their last match 5-2. Junior Susanna Anand competes in the No. singles and doubles position for L&C after being named first team All-NWC last season. Susanna pairs with sophomore Charlotte Makoni in doubles. Sophomore Mya Curry competes as the No. 2 singles player and has a 0-5 record this spring. Whitworth has won three of the last four meetings with the Pioneers, including a 5-4 win last season in Spokane.
Puget Sound visits with a 1-6 overall record and 1-5 conference record. Last weekend, the Loggers hosted Lewis & Clark and fell 5-2. The lone win for the Loggers was a 4-3 victory over defending champion Whitman. Sophomore Kaylee Yamada has played the last two matches in the No. 1 position in both singles and doubles. Shinall competes in the No. 2 singles position. Whitworth has won seven straight matches against the Loggers, including a 9-0 sweep last season.
NWC Standings: Pacific and Whitman are tied at the top of the conference with a 1-1 record. George Fox is close behind in third at 4-1. Lewis & Clark (2-2) and Whitworth (2-3) are battling for the fourth spot. Willamette (1-2), Linfield (1-5), 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 90-89 during her tenure, including a 57-42 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 battle rival Whitman in Walla Walla on March 15th before returning to Scotford Tennis Center to host Lewis-Clark St. on March 16th.
