NEWBERG, Ore. - Unfazed by a layoff of 25 days, the George Fox University Bruins got back into the swing of things by cruising to an 8-1 win over the Whitworth University Pirates in a clash of regionally-ranked Northwest Conference men's tennis teams Saturday morning here at The Courthouse's indoor facilities.

The Bruins, who are ranked No. 14 in the NCAA Division III's West Region by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, had not played since defeating Hardin-Simmons University 6-3 on Mar.11 but won their sixth straight match to improve to 8-2 overall and 6-1 in the NWC.  The Bruins swept the season series and have won five straight against the Pirates, who are ranked No. 18 in the West but fell to 6-8 overall and 5-4 in the league.  The match was played at The Courthouse due to wet conditions on the Bruins' campus courts.

George Fox assistant coach Steve Clark, a tennis instructor well-known for his work with players on their mental approach to the game, pointed out how the Bruins actually benefitted from their layoff.  “We took advantage of the break in our match schedule the past few weeks to work very hard on a few critical areas like pressure situations, momentum management, and more aggressive positioning on the court as well as tightening up our volleying and overhead skills,” he noted.  “The guys really rose up and performed well in those areas today.  We have more work to do as we come down the home stretch and look toward the conference championship, but we've made great strides and are encouraged with the noticeable progress.”

George Fox took control of the match by sweeping the doubles.  Justin McClain and Chris Lilley posted an 8-2 win over Whitworth's Drew Brigham and Shane Sandlin at No.1, Preston Mann and Chace Stalcup took an 8-4 decision over Blake Miller and Matt Goebel at No. 2, and Mitchell Miyashiro and Nick Grafton downed John Talbot and Drew Adams 8-4 at No. 3.

The Bruins' dominance continued into the early singles as Lilley defeated Chris Engelmann 6-2, 6-0 at No. 2 and McClain clinched the match win with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Brigham at No. 1.  Mann stopped Talbot 6-1, 6-3 at No. 3, Miyashiro topped Adams 6-2, 6-4 at No. 5, and Grafton took a three-setter from Sandlin 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 at No. 6.  The Pirates captured the final match as Miller edged Stalcup 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-4) at No. 4.

NEXT: George Fox hosts Whitman College (10-3, NWC 7-0) Sunday at 12:00 noon, but will move to the indoor courts at the Club Green Meadows in Vancouver, Wash., with a 2:00 p.m. start on Sunday if the campus courts are too wet.  Whitman is ranked No. 4 in the region and No.14 in the nation … Whitworth hosts Whitman Wednesday at 4:00 p.m.