BEAVERTON, Ore. – Playing one of their best matches in a difficult season, the George Fox University  Bruins came close in several sets but could not seal enough deals to avoid a 5-2 setback to the visiting Pacific Lutheran University Lutes in a Northwest Conference women's tennis match Friday afternoon here at the Tualatin Hills Tennis Center.

The Bruins opened with a thrilling 9-8 (8-6) win by Mollee Robinson and Molly Beaumont over the Lutes' Ashley Coats and Cora Wigen at No. 1 doubles.  The Lutes rallied back to win at No. 2, Ali Burnside and Tina Aarsvold defeating Cara Griffith and Liliya Abildayeva 8-4, and at No. 3, Deanna Ellmer and Caitlyn Hoerr downing Allie Michelotti and Shawna Buck 8-2.

In the No. 1 singles match, the Bruins' Robinson took the first set 6-3 and was up 5-2 in the second before the Lutes' Coats stormed back for a 7-6 (10-8) win to even the match.  Coats then finished off the comeback with a 6-3 third-set win.

Beaumont picked up the only singles win for George Fox at No. 2 with a 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) decision over Wigen.  Burnside topped Griffith 6-1, 6-4 at No. 3, and Michelotti dropped a pair of 7-6 (7-5) sets to Aarsvold at No. 4. 

The final two singles were unfinished as the amount of court time available for the teams at Tualatin Hills expired.  Abildayeva dropped the first set 6-4 but led 2-1 over Ellmer in the second at No. 5, and Hoerr was leading 6-0, 4-6 over Buck at No. 6 when play was stopped.

The match was moved to Tualatin Hills because of wet condition on the GFU campus courts, and that situation will apply for Saturday's match as well between George Fox (0-14, NWC 0-13) and the University of Puget Sound at 11:00 a.m.  Pacific Lutheran (3-12, NWC 3-10) visits Willamette University Saturday at 10:00 a.m.