NEWBERG, Ore. - A critical and impressive win
by Justin McClain at No. 5 singles enabled the
George Fox University Bruins to prevail in their Northwest
Conference men's tennis opener 5-4 over the visiting
University of Puget Sound Loggers Saturday afternoon here at the
GFU campus courts.
The Bruins took two of the three doubles matches and won at the
top two singles to forge ahead 4-1, but did not secure the victory
until McClain overpowered Brent Hashiba 6-2, 6-1 to secure the home
team's fifth match.
George Fox winners in doubles were Peter Brown and Josiah
Jackson over Hashiba and Brian Burger of UPS 8-2 at No. 2, and
McClain and Andy Tweet over Alex Harrison and Harrison Timmons 8-6
at No. 3. The Loggers picked up a 9-8 (9-7) win at No. 1 as
Mike Cutter and Nick Kelly edged the Bruins' Scott Barnett
and Preston Mann.
Barnet and Brown were straight-sets winners at No. 1 and No. 2
singles respectively for the Bruins, giving them their 4-1
lead. Barnett downed Cutter 6-2, 6-4, and Brown dropped
George Murphy 6-4, 6-3. The Loggers got back into it as Kelly
came back against Mann 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 at No. 3, and Harrison rallied
against Jackson 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 at No. 4.
With the match on the line, McClain cruised past Hashiba to
clinch the Bruins' first win over the Loggers since adding
men's tennis to the George Fox athletics scene in 1996.
That offset a win by the Loggers' Timmons over Tweet 6-4, 6-2
at No. 6.
“This was a breakthrough win for our program,”
admitted George Fox coach Neal Ninteman. “Today's
effort was a direct reflection of all the hard work the guys have
put in over the last several months; they earned this. I am
extremely proud of them, not just for the victory, which is
significant, but even more for the way they won. It was a
very tight match that demanded a great deal of both physical and
mental toughness, and they rose to the challenge. To have
such a strong performance against a quality team like UPS is a
great accomplishment. It is also a huge step for us toward
our goal of getting a spot in the conference tournament.
“Justin McClain and Andy Tweet coming back from 5-6 to win
the critical No. 3 doubles match 8-6 was huge, and ultimately the
difference maker. Justin was tremendous today; he played
brilliantly in both his singles and doubles matches. His win
in the critical No. 5 singles was the one that wrapped things up
for us, evoking quite a celebration.”
NEXT: George Fox (2-0, NWC 1-0) has its work
cut out for it Sunday as the Bruins host the Whitman College
Missionaries, ranked No,. 19 nationally in the NCAA Division III,
Sunday at 3:00 p.m. ... Puget Sound (1-1, NWC 1-1) hosts Whitworth
University Friday at 3:00 p.m.
