By Seth Preuss
WALLA WALLA --- The No. 27-ranked George Fox men's tennis team competed in the NWC Tournament semifinals on Saturday, April 27, against Pacific (Ore.). The Bruins came away with a dominant 5-0 win on Whitman's court to advance to the NWC Tournament Finals.
Recap:
The Bruins used a strong performance from their doubles flights to set the tone in the match. Will Leach and Keaton Baker defeated the Boxers' No. 1 doubles flight 8-3, and Luke Lemaitre worked with Alex Namba to defeat the Boxers' no. 2 doubles flight in an 8-6 battle. Payton Namba and Thierry Van Os finished off the doubles sweep by winning, 8-4, in the third flight of doubles play.
Coach Jeff Cero was pleased with the Bruins' play, saying "the guys came out focused, gave a lot of attention, got off to a better start than the last time we played, and were moving really well today – we played well around the net."
Leach continued his strong play with a win in the No. 2 flight of singles with a sweep, 6-0, 6-0, to put the Bruins in position to clinch the match.
"Will put on a clinic and no 2 singles, he really dropped the hammer, and we're proud of him for setting the tone today for us," Cero said afterwards.
A. Namba won his singles flight against the Boxers' no. 4 player to clinch the match for the Bruins, 6-4, 6-1.
What It Means:
The Bruins improve to 11-7 overall this season and advance in the tournament to the championship match.
What Happens Next:
The Bruins advance to their second-ever NWC Tournament Championship match in program history with a tilt against the top-seeded Whitman Blues on Sunday, April 28.
