BEAVERTON, Ore. - Dropping the final three singles matches after battling back to forge a 3-3 tie, the George Fox University Bruins lost a hard-fought Northwest Conference men's tennis match to the University of Puget Sound Loggers 6-3 Friday afternoon here at the Tualatin Hills Tennis Center.

The match had originally been scheduled for the GFU campus courts, but steady rains throughout the day made the Bruins' home court unplayable.

Puget Sound jumped out to an early lead by taking two of the three doubles matches.  The Loggers won at No. 1 as Mike Cutter and Nick Kelley knocked off Pedro and Juan Munoz, and at No. 3, where Scooter Sable and Andrew Timmons topped Ross Budreau and Luke Pritchard 8-4.  The Bruins' Scott Barnett and Nick Jenness prevailed over George Murphy and Brian Burger 8-4 at No. 2.

The Bruins evened the match with wins at No. 1 and No. 3 singles.  Barnett downed Cutter 7-5, 6-0 at No. 1, and Juan Munoz dispatched Murphy 6-2, 6-1 at No. 3.  Puget Sound picked up the No. 2 singles as Kelley cruised past Pedro Munoz 6-0, 6-1.

With the score deadlocked, the rest of the match belonged to the Loggers.  Alex Harrison defeated Jenness 6-4, 6-1 at No. 4, Sabel swatted Josh Williford 6-1, 6-0 at No. 5, and Ben Miller beat Chris Schoon in a tight 6-3, 6-4 match at No. 6.

George Fox (2-3, NWC 1-3) hosts Pacific Lutheran University Saturday at 10:00 a.m. at the GFU courts, but the match could be moved to Tualatin Hills if the courts are still too wet.  Puget Sound (1-4, NWC 1-4) plays at Lewis & Clark College Saturday at 2:00 p.m.  Both are conference matches.