NEWBERG, Ore. – For the second straight time, a George Fox University women's tennis match came down to Ali Diehl in the No. 6 singles slot, and once again she came through with a huge victory, giving the Bruins a 5-4 Northwest Conference win over the visiting Pacific University Boxers and the best start in team history here Sunday afternoon.

The match was started at the GFU campus courts, but rain began to fall around 3:30 with George Fox ahead 4-3 and the No. 2 and No. 6 singles still going.  With no neutral-site indoor courts immediately available, the match shifted to Forest Grove and Pacific's indoor courts for completion.

“The No. 2 singles was just about over and the match was going to be even, but Ali was up 4-0 in the first set of her match and we didn't want her to lose momentum,” admitted George Fox head coach Rick Cruz.  “The courts at Pacific are a different surface than ours, requiring a different pace of play, and that could have affected Ali, but she didn't let it bother her and came through in the clutch big-time.”

Diehl proceeded to polish off the Boxers' Kelly Flores 6-1, 6-1, clinching the Bruins' third straight win to open the season (and 2-0 in conference play).  This is the first time since the program began in 1996 that the Bruins have ever won their first three matches; the 2002 team began 2-0 but lost its third match.

The Bruins opened play against the Boxers with an 8-4 win at No. 3 doubles by Diehl and Megan Dahlberg over Flores and Danielle Hunter, but the Boxers took the other two doubles.  Kaitlyn Lomartire and Francesca Battaglia topped Alyssa Emoto and Chantelle Hadeed 8-3 at No. 1, and Carlee Rhodaback and Kelsey Lack rallied from a 6-5 deficit to defeat Taylor Barnes and Krista Rey 8-6 at No. 2.

Dahlberg evened the match by making quick work of Lack 6-0, 6-1 at No. 5 singles, but the Boxers went back in front as Lomartire dispatched Emoto 6-1, 6-2 at No. 1.  The Bruins regained the lead as Rey trimmed Danielle Wicks 6-3, 6-1 at No. 4 and Hadeed handled Rhodaback 6-3, 6-4 at No. 3, but then the rains came and forced the match to move.

Battaglia completed her 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) win over Barnes at No. 2 at Pacific, leaving the No. 6 singles to decide the match, and Diehl came through for the Bruins, just as she had done on Friday to give them a 5-4 win over Lewis & Clark College.  Pacific thus fell to 1-2 overall and 0-2 in the NWC.

NEXT: George Fox faces a stiff challenge to keeping its streak alive as the Bruins host two of the conference favorites next weekend, playing Whitworth University Friday at 4:00 p.m. and Whitman College Saturday at 11:00 a.m. … Pacific hosts Pacific Lutheran University Friday at 4:00 p.m.