SALEM, Ore. - Scott Barnett defeated Michael Baumgartner in an epic battle at No. 1 singles, but that was the only match the George Fox University Bruins could pull out as they bowed to the Willamette University Bearcats for the second time this season 8-1 in Northwest Conference men's tennis Friday night here at the Courthouse Tennis Club.

Barnett dropped the first set 5-7 and was down 5-6 in the second with Baumgartner serving for match point.  The Bruins' Second Team All-NWC player saved the point with a spectacular backhand down-the-line winner, evened the match 6-6 before winning the set tiebreaker 7-2, then out-pointed Baumgartner in the match tiebreaker 10-7.

“This was a breakthrough win for Scott against one of the hottest players in the conference,” said Bruins coach Neal Ninteman.  “He and Mike are good friends and have played each other many times, but this might be the first time Scotty has gotten him.  He showed true championship qualities in a match that took over two hours to play, even though the rest of the matches had already been decided.”

Willamette owned the rest of the match, however, starting with the doubles.  At No. 1, Baumgartner and Matthew Houser defeated the Bruins' Juan and Pedro Munoz 8-2, Cody Ferguson and Joshua Wong downed Barnett and Nick Jenness 8-4 at No. 2, and Luke Lagattuta and Micah Mack topped Matthew Gardner and Luke Pritchard 8-3 at No. 3.

In the other singles matches, it was Wong over Pedro Munoz 6-0, 6-0 at No. 2; Ferguson over Juan Munoz 6-1, 6-0 at No. 3; Houser over Jenness 6-2, 6-0 at No. 4; Lagattuta over Gardner 7-5, 6-0 at No. 5; and Mack over Pritchard 6-0, 6-4 at No. 6.

George Fox (2-7, NWC 1-7) hosts Lewis & Clark College Saturday at 1:00 p.m. in a match that has been moved to the indoor courts at the Tualatin Hills Tennis Center in Beaverton, Ore., due to wet conditions on the GFU campus courts.  Willamette (7-3, NWC 7-1) will visit Linfield College Saturday for a 1:00 p.m. match.  Both matches are conference clashes.