SALEM, Ore. - By sweeping all three doubles matches, the Willamette University Bearcats got off to a good start and went on to take a 6-3 victory over the George Fox University Bruins in a Northwest Conference women's tennis match Friday night here on the indoor courts of the Courthouse Tennis Club.

The Bearcats took the doubles as Natalia Agarycheva and Shannon Palmer downed the Bruins' Molly Beaumont and Alyssa Emoto 8-2 at No. 1, Sabrina Gutierrez and Jamie Slonaker dropped Shaina Inn and Cara Griffith 8-3 at No. 2, and Katie Huber and Emily Bee breezed by Bethany Nguyen and Liliya Abildayeva 8-1 at No. 3.

The Bruins picked up three wins in the singles matches, but it was not enough to overcome the Bearcats' big lead in doubles.  At No. 1 singles, the Bruins' Beaumont outdueled Huber with a tiebreaker third set 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 1-0 (10-5).  At No. 4, Griffith edged Bee 6-4, 7-6 (7-5), and at No. 6, Abildayeva won two close sets over Lindsay Michaelson 6-4, 6-4.

For Willamette, Palmer prevailed at No. 2 singles over Emoto 7-5, 6-1, Gutierrez downed Inn 6-2, 6-0 at No. 3, and Slonaker defeated Nguyen 6-2, 6-1 at No. 5.

NEXT: George Fox (2-3, NWC 1-3) visits Pacific University Saturday at 1:00 p.m. ... Willamette (4-3, NWC 4-2) goes to Linfield College for a Saturday match at 10:00 a.m.