WHITWORTH 9, GEORGE FOX 0: Pirates Stay Perfect in NWC with Blanking of Bruins

BEAVERTON, Ore. - Maintaining their half-game lead over Linfield College in the Northwest Conference women’s tennis standings, the Whitworth University Pirates sailed past the George Fox University Bruins 9-0 in a match that was moved here to the Tualatin Hills Tennis Center indoor courts from the wet GFU campus courts.

Whitworth improved to 11-2 overall with its 11th straight win and 7-0 in the conference, a step ahead of Linfield, which is 7-1 in the NWC after defeating the University of Puget Sound 8-1 on Friday.  George Fox fell to 4-9 overall and 1-6 in the conference.

The Bruins gave the Pirates their toughest tests in the first two doubles, but the visitors prevailed as Rachel Burns and Alli Marshall won 8-5 over Molly Beaumont and Cara Griffith at No. 1, and Erica Bosman and Katie Staudinger triumphed by the same score over Alyssa Emoto and Shaina Inn at No. 2.  Siri Carlson and Claire Henming took the No. 3 doubles 8-1 over Liliya Abildayeva and Bethany Nguyen.

The Pirates swept all six singles matches in straight sets.  Burns beat Beaumont 6-2, 6-0 at No. 1; Marshall downed Emoto 6-0, 6-2 at No. 2; Bosman bested Inn 6-2, 6-0 at No. 3; Staudinger stopped Griffith 6-0, 6-1 at No. 4; Carlson conquered Abildayeva 6-0, 6-1 at No. 5; and Janell Talbot topped Nguyen 6-4, 6-1 at No. 6.

NEXT: George Fox hosts Linfield Saturday at 10:00 a.m.  If the GFU courts are still too wet, the match will be moved to Tualatin Hills at 5:00 p.m. ... Whitworth goes to Pacific University for a 10:00 a.m. match Saturday.