WALLA WALLA, Wash. – Whitworth clinched a spot in the 2026 Northwest Conference men's tournament final with a 4-3 semifinal win over Lewis & Clark College on Friday afternoon at the Whitman Tennis Courts.

The Pirates (13-6) will battle host Whitman on Saturday at 10:00 am for the NWC automatic bid to the NCAA DIII Tournament.

The River Otters (9-11) earned an early advantage with a pair of doubles wins on the No. 2 and No. 3 courts. Matt Hossack and Easton Weir fell 6-3 and Ryan Ashley and Matthew Morrison fell 6-4.

The Bucs won four of six singles matches to claim the win, all in two sets. Henry Preacher put Whitworth on the board with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Noah Sutin on the No. 2 court. Kaden Sigurdsson put L&C back on top with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Morrison. Ashley followed to tie the match with a 6-3, 6-4 win on the No. 3 court. Both teams again traded wins in the fifth and sixth positions, leaving the match up to Connor Judson at the No. 4 spot. He clinched the victory with a 6-3, 6-3 win to extend the Bucs season.

Regular season champion Whitman has beaten Whitworth twice this season by a combined set score of 11-3.