NEWBERG --- The George Fox men's tennis team bounced back Sunday against the Whitworth Pirates, winning the Northwest Conference match, 8-1.

Recap:

The Bruins near perfect day kicked off with a bang in doubles. Spencer Watanabe and William Leach continued their impressive season at the No. 1 doubles spot with an 8-2 win. The Namba brothers of Alex and Payton won a competitive match at the No. 2 spot with an 8-4 victory. The Bruins only loss on the day came at the No. 3 spot in an extremely close match. Justin Barton and Tristen Lerma threw everything they had, but fell in a 9-8 (8-6) score.

With a 2-1 lead heading into singles, the Pirates didn't stand a chance as the Bruins found their rhythm. George Fox won all its matches in straight sets, as Watanabe won at the No. 1 spot, 6-2, 6-3. Leach kept the momentum with a 6-2, 7-5 victory at No. 2 singles and Alex Namba won at the No. 3 spot, 6-4, 6-1. Payton Namba won his match at No. 4 singles, 6-1, 6-3, while Keaton Baker won 6-0, 6-1 at No. 5 singles. Sam Watt won by default at No. 6.

What It Means:

The Bruins improve to 5-1 on the season and 3-1 in conference.

What Comes Next:

The Bruins will play their third straight match Monday, March 12 against Southwestern (Texas) at 3 pm.