By: Ryan Lackey

MCMINVILLE, Ore. ---The Bruins could not quite find their finishing stroke on Sunday afternoon, falling to the Linfield Wildcats, 9-0.

"Linfield did a great job at finishing points at the net," said head coach Rick Cruz. "We are getting better but we still have to keep working and improving to get to where we want to be."

In singles, the Bruins' #1 and #2, Sarah Tuemmler and Sarah Hadeed, both dropped their matches 6-2, 6-3 to Ella Riddle and Basia Kopecka, despite playing some good tennis.

Taylor Barnes, in the #3 match, gave Linfield's Kalia Nip all she could handle, narrowly losing, 2-6, 6-3, 10-5.

Catrina Kwong lost the #4 match to Marisa Doveri, 6-2, 6-3. Another Marisa – Marisa Kume – took the #5 match from the Bruins' Andrea Motley, 6-3, 6-3.

In the #6 match, Ali Diehl fell to Courtney Hammagren, 6-0, 6-4.

Cruz was encouraged by the Bruins' improvement, though.

"In singles we really battled," said Cruz. "Everyone played well and competed well. Taylor pushed her opponent to a third set and everyone played better in the second sets."

Things fared no better for the Bruins in doubles.

"In doubles," Cruz explained, "Linfield did a great job at finishing points at the net. We have to learn to finish more consistently at the net if we want to beat the top doubles teams.

Tuemmler and Hadeed lost the #1 match to Riddle and Fraser, 8-2, and Kwong and Motley fell in the #2 match to Kopecka and Hammagren, 8-1. Diehl and Rey, in the #3 match, came up short against Nip and Kelly Watanabe, 8-2.

Cruz, though, remained positive: "I love the attitude and fight with this group and we will need it tomorrow against another nationally ranked team in Lewis and Clark."

The loss means the Bruins sit at 5-4, 2-3 in the Northwest Conference.