NEWBERG, Ore -- The George Fox women's tennis team faced their toughest D-III competition of the season to date, fighting hard but falling to the 34th-ranked Linfield Wildcats, 2-7.

How It Happened
Fox played close doubles matches to open up the match, with Kalli Wiker and Cassey Hitch playing Alexis Matsunaga and Allena Wong to a near-standstill, losing 7-8 (5-7). Olivia Morris and Ellie Mangan picked up the first win of the day for their team, taking down the Wildcats' #2 double duo, 8-4. Arianna Rader and Brenna VanderYacht rounded out doubles play with a 1-8 loss.

Wiker once again played close in her singles match, falling to Taryn Fujimori, 6-7, 2-6, while VanderYacht won the lone match of singles play — earning Fox's only won sets as well. The senior took down Lisas Ponti, 6-0, 6-3. Stephanie Ramirez Barreto played in the closest singles loss outside of Wiker, losing on court four, 4-6, 3-6. The remaining three Bruins — Elizabeth Cook, Emily McDonald, and Olivia Morris — all lost their matches 6-2, 6-2.

Coach's Thoughts
"This was a good test for us to see where we are at," Bruin head coach Rick Cruz said, "While the result wasn't what we hoped for, it showed we can compete and beat the better teams if we all play well on the same day. Brenna had a solid win at six and Olivia and Ellie did a great job at two. Our goal now is to continue to improve and be our best at the end of the season."

What It Means
The Bruins' record falls back to .500 as they sit at 4-4 (1-1 NWC), while Linfield improves to 5-1 (2-0 NWC).

What Comes Next
Fox will be back at home for a two-game Saturday, taking on Whitman at noon and East Texas Baptist at 4:00 pm.