WALLA WALLA, Wash. --- The George Fox men's tennis team started their 2016 Northwest Conference schedule, Saturday afternoon, as the Bruins lost a tough 9-0 match to No. 17 Whitman College.

Recap:
The Bruins kicked off the match in doubles, and No. 21-ranked Spencer Watanabe and Chris Lilley got off to a great start over No. 14-ranked Zach Hewlin and Phillip Locklear. The Bruin pair went up early 4-2 at the No. 1 spot, but fell 8-4 in a gutsy match. Nicholas Grafton and Vincent Viloria battled hard for the Bruins at the No. 2 spot in doubles, but couldn't overcome Adam Rapoport and Robert Carter late in the match, 8-5.

After falling 3-0 in doubles play, the Bruins headed to singles with some redemption on their minds. Ranked at No. 38 in singles, Watanabe faced off against No. 19 Hewlin, which proved to be a heavy weight match at the No. 1 spot. Hewlin got the advantage and beat Watanabe, 6-4, 6-1. Lilley did his best to volley with No. 34 Locklear, and gave him a run for his money forcing a third set. Locklear narrowly beat Lilley, 6-3, 5-7, 6-1.

Grafton was also tough for the Bruins at the No. 3 spot, taking on Carter in a three set battle. Carter went on to win, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2. The Missionaries were able to close out the No. 4, 5 and 6 spot in straight sets.

What It Means:
The Bruins fall to 1-3 overall and 0-1 in the NWC.

What Comes Next:
The Bruins will look to bounce back tomorrow when they face Whitworth at 10:30 a.m.