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Men's Tennis

GEORGE FOX 9, PACIFIC LUTHERAN 0: Bruins Blank Lutes to Take Over First in NWC

BEAVERTON, Ore. – In an early-season showdown for sole possession of first place in the Northwest Conference men's race, the George Fox University Bruins blanked the Pacific Lutheran University Lutes 9-0 in a match that was moved from the GFU campus courts to here at the Tualatin Hills Tennis Center's indoor bubble.

Unranked Pacific Lutheran was coming off an upset of the NCAA Division III West Region's 12th-ranked team, Pacific University, but the Bruins, who are ranked 11th in the West, made sure the Lutes would not spring another surprise.

The doubles matches were closely contested but the Bruins took all three.  Shawn Aldrich and Chris Lilley took down Luke Olson and Sam Angel 8-5 at No. 1, Justin McClain and Peter Brown edged Taylor Dickey and Jason Bower 8-6 at No. 2, and Preston Mann and Drew Milton were up 6-3 at No. 3 over Mitch and Jake Yannello when the latter Lute had to retire due to an injury.

In the singles, McClain gave the Bruins a 4-0 lead when he quickly dispatched Bower 6-0, 6-2 at No. 1.  Mann followed with a 6-3, 6-3 win at No. 4 to secure the team victory for the Bruins.

Three of the remaining four singles went to third sets or tiebreakers.  At No. 2, Aldrich took the first set from Olson 6-3 but dropped the second 2-6 after injuring an ankle. Playing through the pain, the Bruin prevailed in a third set tiebreaker 10-8.

“Shawn demonstrated what it means to be a Bruin tonight,” commented George Fox head coach Neal Ninteman.  “Fighting off a nasty ankle injury and a fired-up opponent, he really inspired our team.”

Lilley made it 7-0 when he finished off Angel 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 at No. 3, and Milton downed Mitch Yanello, after a tough first set, 7-6 (8-6), 6-1.  At No. 6, Chace Stalcup fell 4-6 in the first set and was down 3-5 in the second and facing two matches points, but rallied to win the set 7-5 to even the match.  He then closed out the Bruins' shutout with a 10-6 tiebreaker win.

“Coming off their upset of Pacific, we knew this team (PLU) was for real,” admitted team co-captain Mann.  “Our coaches did a fantastic job of keeping us focused during the week and that really paid off for us tonight.”

George Fox is now 3-2 overall and 3-0 in the conference, while Pacific Lutheran is 2-1 overall and in the league.  Next up, however, is perennial power Whitman College, which is ranked No. 13 nationally and No. 6 in the West.  The Bruins and Missionaries (2-1, NWC 2-0) are the only two unbeatens left in the conference and will play Saturday evening at 6:00 p.m. at Tualatin Hills following Whitman's Saturday match at Lewis & Clark College at 11:00 a.m. 

Pacific Lutheran is also in action Saturday, visiting Willamette University for an 11:00 a.m. contest.

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Players Mentioned

Shawn Aldrich

Shawn Aldrich

5' 8"
Senior
R
Peter Brown

Peter Brown

5' 11"
Senior
R
Preston Mann

Preston Mann

5' 9"
Junior
R
Justin McClain

Justin McClain

6' 0"
Junior
R
Drew Milton

Drew Milton

5' 8"
Senior
R
Chace Stalcup

Chace Stalcup

6' 2"
Senior
R

Players Mentioned

Shawn Aldrich

Shawn Aldrich

5' 8"
Senior
R
Peter Brown

Peter Brown

5' 11"
Senior
R
Preston Mann

Preston Mann

5' 9"
Junior
R
Justin McClain

Justin McClain

6' 0"
Junior
R
Drew Milton

Drew Milton

5' 8"
Senior
R
Chace Stalcup

Chace Stalcup

6' 2"
Senior
R
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