SALEM, Ore. --- The George Fox women's tennis team opened their 2020 dual season in the win column, picking up a 7-2 victory at Willamette on Saturday afternoon.

Doubles

The Bruins faced some early jitters in doubles play but were able to shake the nerves and settle in for a complete sweep of the Bearcats. The No. 1 duo of Sophia Lawrence and Laney Search and the No. 2 team of Jillian Studer and Taylor Morris both battled their way to 8-5 decisions over their opponents. Ellie Mangan and Megan Wilks worked for a quicker 8-1 takedown in the No. 3 slot.

Singles

The Blue & Gold took the momentum from doubles into singles play. Fox was without Lawrence and Studer during the action but still managed to pick up four wins. Mangan earned an impressive 6-0, 6-0 sweep in the No. 6 position for the first singles point. Search (No. 3), Alyssa Byde (No. 4), and Olivia Morris (No. 5) also posted dominant results for the women. The closest contested set was Byde's first where she won 6-4 before blanking her competitor in the second.

What It Means

In the words of head coach Rick Cruz, "it's always great to start the season with a win!" The victory gives the Bruins their first spring season-opening win since 2015 and a 1-0 record. Willamette will try to avenge their loss when they come to Newberg for a conference bout on April 4.

"This match will definitely make us better moving forward," says Cruz. "It showed us the areas where we need to get better if we want to be the team we think we can be."

What Happens Next

George Fox takes the week off in preparation for their California trip next weekend. The Bruins face California Lutheran and Occidental on Friday, Feb. 14 before challenging Whittier on Sunday. Saturday's matches are slated for 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. with play resuming on Sunday at 10 a.m. Cruz is excited to see what the team can do in the next few days of practice before the trip.