By: Cody Wright
SPOKANE, Wash. – After several matches against high-level competition, the Whitworth University men's tennis team begins Northwest Conference play against visiting Whitman College this Sunday at 11:00 am at Scotford Tennis Center.
Check the Whitworth men's tennis schedule page for live links to this weekend's match.
Watch on FloCollege: All of Whitworth's home and Northwest Conference athletic events will be streamed through FloCollege in 2025-26. Fans can sign up to watch Pirate sports on the FloCollege portal. Registration is $108 for an annual subscription or $20 per month. Those who register with a .edu email address get a significant discount.
The Pirates: The Bucs (0-1) played four exhibition matches before opening the season with a loss to NAIA opponent Lewis-Clark State College last weekend.
Whitworth got the ball rolling with a 5-2 exhibition win over the University of Calgary on January 22nd. The Pirates traveled to Montana the following weekend for three more exhibition matches, resulting in 7-0 losses to Montana State, Idaho State, and Montana.
The first official match of the season for the Pirates was a 7-0 loss to Lewis-Clark State College last weekend. The Warriors were victorious in all nine matches. Ryan Ashley battled to a first set tiebreaker before falling in two sets and freshman Connor Judson had a notable performance in his Whitworth debut, playing his opponent close from the No. 3 singles position.
The Opponents: 2025 NWC champion Whitman will open its season with a match at the University of Montana on Saturday before heading to Spokane on Sunday. The Blues finished last season with a 13-1 conference record and lost in the second round of the NCAA DIII Men's Tennis Tournament. First team All-NWC players Alexander Stage and Cameron Yang return to lead Whitman to another postseason run.
The Coach: Daniel Redfern enters his third season as head coach of the Whitworth men's tennis program in 2025-26. He holds an 11-28 overall record and 9-12 Northwest Conference mark. Redfern was a two-year standout player for the Pirates, earning first team All-Northwest Conference honors in 2011 and 2012 after transferring to Whitworth from Skagit Valley College.
Looking ahead: The Whitworth men will take their first NWC road trip of the season with a match at Pacific (Ore.) on February 21st and Linfield on February 22nd.
