WALLA WALLA, Wash. & LEWISTON, Ida. --- The George Fox men's tennis team kicked off their weekend road trip with a 1-1 split on Saturday. The Bruins fell to Division I Montana 5-2 at Whitman College before defeating Lewis & Clark State 5-2 for their first win of the season.

Match One vs. Montana

No. 12 Will Leach and No. 16 Luke Lemaitre came up with two huge wins in the first match, earning points at No. 1 and No. 2 singles, respectively.

The Grizzlies secured the doubles point, but not before Lemaitre and Rox Rogers ground out a 7-6 (8-6) decision at No. 2 doubles for the Bruins' first win of the day. The No. 1 combo of Alex Namba and Will Leach fell 6-1 while Camden Camacho and Thierry Van Os dropped a tight 6-4 set at No. 3 doubles.

Montana snagged the first two singles points defeating No. 4 Namba (3-6, 0-6) and No. 3 Rogers (4-6, 3-6). Leach rattled back with a 6-2, 7-6 win at the No. 1 position.

Lemaitre hung tough to outlast his No. 2 singles opponent with a 7-6, 3-5, 6-2 decision for the Bruins' second point.

The final two courts went the way of the Grizzlies as Van Os (2-6, 1-6) and Camacho (6-0, 2-6) fell at the No. 5 and No. 6 spots.

Match Two vs. Lewis & Clark State

The Bruins came out hot over Lewis & Clark State after making the trip from Washington to Idaho. Eager to bounce back from the morning's loss, Fox won two of the three doubles matches to carry a 1-0 lead into singles play.

Leach paired with Namba for a quick 6-3 win in the No. 1 slot before tiebreakers were needed in the next two decisions. Lemaitre and Rogers secured the doubles point with a tight 7-6 (7-5) win at No. 2. Camacho and Van Os fought tooth and nail in the No. 3 slot, but ultimately fell 6-6 (8-10).

The Bruins carried the momentum into singles action with Leach collecting the Bruins' first singles point at No. 1. His 7-6, 7-5 decision came right before Rogers took three sets to win second singles 6-2, 4-6, 6-2. In the No. 3 slot, Namba battled for a 6-4, 7-6 victory while teammate Camacho took fifth singles 6-4, 6-1 to close out the victory for the Blue and Gold.

Their Thoughts

"The guys fought hard today against Montana," said head coach Jeff Cero. "We pulled out some great wins against a top Big Sky team, but definitely had our learning moments."

Cero was excited about their first win of the season, explaining what a great job the guys did of "taking care of business."

"Camden and Rox played well and stepped up when we needed them too."

What It Means

The Bruins now hold an overall record of 1-2 after going 1-1 on the day.

What Happens Next

The Bruins continue their stint at Lewis & Clark State when they face Division I Idaho tomorrow, Feb. 16, at 9:00 a.m.