NEWBERG, Ore. - Securing the fourth and final playoff spot in the Northwest Conference Women's Tennis Tournament coming up April 16-17, the visiting Willamette University Bearcats dispatched the George Fox University Bruins 6-3 and brought an end to the home team's season Saturday here at the GFU campus courts.

The Bruins began the match in fine fashion, taking two of the three doubles matches.  After the Bearcats' Natalia Agarycheva and Shannon Palmer blanked Molly Beaumont and Cara Griffith 8-0 at No. 1, the Bruins rebounded with an 8-4 win at No. 2, Alyssa Emoto and Shaina Inn prevailing over Fabi Dieguez and Jamie Slonaker, and an 8-5 win at No. 3 as Lililya Abildayeva and Bethany Nguyen knocked off Emily Funabiki and Lindsay Michaelson.

Abildayeva was the only Bruin to win in singles, however, taking down Michaelson 6-4, 6-2 at No. 5.  The rest of the singles went to the Bearcats as Agarycheva beat Beaumont 6-0, 6-1 at No. 1; Palmer popped Emoto 6-0, 6-3 at No. 2; Dieguez dropped Inn 7-5, 6-0 at No. 3; Slonaker squeezed past Griffith 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 at No. 4; and Funabiki split with Nguyen before winning 6-2, 3-6, 6-4. 

George Fox finishes the 2010-11 campaign with a 4-14 overall record and in eighth place in the conference standings at 1-11.  Willamette (10-6, NWC 7-5) will advance to the NWC Tournament to take on top-seeded Whitworth University in one semi-final match on Saturday in Spokane, Wash.  The other semi-final will pit No. 3 Whitman College against No. 2 Linfield College.  The championship match will be on Sunday in Spokane.