FOREST GROVE, Ore. – In
a match as close as expected between the 11th and 12th-rated teams
in the NCAA Division III West Region, it was Peter
Brown's win at No. 6 singles that proved decisive in
the George Fox University Bruins' 5-4 win over the Pacific
University Boxers in Northwest Conference men's tennis action
Saturday here at the Holce Tennis Courts.
George Fox, now 6-3 overall and 6-1 in the conference, was the
No. 11 team in the West as the spring season began, according to
the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's rating system.
Pacific, which slipped to 2-3 overall and in the NWC, was No.
12.
Pacific took the first lead as Troy Zuroske and Giancarlo
Battaglia dispatched the Bruins' Shawn Aldrich and Chris
Lilley 8-1 at No. 1 doubles, but the Bruins bounced back to take
the other two. Justin McClain and Brown scored an 8-3 win
over Lorne Bulling and Brian Kyaw at No. 2, as did Preston Mann and
Drew Milton over Alen Suklje and Kolin Wong at No. 3.
Pacific regained the lead as Zuroske topped McClain 6-4, 6-2 at
No. 1 singles and Battaglia beat Aldrich 6-1, 6-2 at No. 2, but
Lilley evened the score with a 2-6, 7-5, 6-1 victory over Brandon
Schlack at No. 3. The 4 and 5 singles were split, Mann
defeating Suklje 6-4, 6-4 at No. 4 but Bulling evening it up for
the Boxers again at No. 5 with a 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 edging of
Milton.
That left it all up to the No. 6 singles, and Brown was up to
the task for the second match in a row. Having won the match
that clinched the Bruins' 6-3 win at Willamette on Friday,
this time he took care of Wong 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) to give the Bruins
the hard-fought victory.
“The Pacific-George Fox rivalry has become a good one,
with some truly fine tennis played between the two,” observed
Bruin head coach Neal Ninteman. “They have lost some
really close matches this year, and this one was no exception; we
had to give it everything we had to pull it out. This has
been a great weekend for Bruin tennis, winning two close matches
against regionally-ranked opponents.
“I am so proud of Peter Brown, who had two chances in a
row to nail down victories for us and came through each time.
The play of Preston and Drew in doubles was terrific and their win
at No. 3 today was the difference in the match.
Preston's singles victory at No. 4 vs. Alen Sujke brought a
much-needed shot of energy to the team with his solid play and
really swung the momentum of the entire match in our
favor.”
NEXT: George Fox steps outside the conference
for its next three matches to play neutral-site contests in
southern California, starting next Saturday against Sewanee
University of the South in Ontario, Calif., at 2:00 p.m. ...
Pacific also takes on a non-conference opponent, playing NCAA
Division I Portland State University Sunday at 1:00 p.m. at the
Club Green Meadows in Vancouver, Wash.
