Photo Taken By: Shelby Byerly

NEWBERG, Ore. --- It was a perfect day out at the George Fox tennis courts on Sunday, as fans gathered under the sun to watch the Bruins take on the Whitman Missionaries in a Northwest Conference battle.

Recap:
The No. 14-ranked Missionaries defeated the Bruins by a score of 8-1, but the score line doesn't show the toughness that was displayed in Newberg.

The Bruins jumped out to a great start in doubles as Spencer Watanabe and Chris Lilley took down the third ranked doubles team in the nation (Zach Hewlin/Phillip Locklear) with a 9-8 (7-4) final. The Bruin pair was spectacular putting on a show for the Bruin faithful.  The Missionaries rallied back, though, and went in to singles with a 2-1 lead.

It was a heavy-weight bout at the No. 1 and No. 2 singles as tiebreakers and third sets were needed. First it was Watanabe at the No. 1 spot fighting hard with Zach Hewlin for a 7-6 (9-7), 7-6 (10-8) showing.

Chris Lilley and Phillip Locklear had the longest match of the day with three and a half hours out on the court. It went blow for blow in the early going, and at times it appeared that Lilley was in control, but with each point Locklear responded. After a high-intense match, Locklear ended up defeating Lilley, 4-6, 6-4, 7-5.

The rest of the Bruin squad battled hard against the top-ranked Missionaries, but fell just short in the 8-1 final.

What It Means:
The Bruins fall to 5-8 on the season and 3-4 in the NWC.

What Comes Next:
The Bruins will stay on familiar ground next weekend when they host Lewis & Clark and Willamette through April 8-9.