WALLA WALLA, Wash. -- The George Fox women's tennis team will be the lone Bruin program to travel outside of Oregon as they make their way east to Whitman for the Northwest Conference tournament.

The Bruins enter the tourney as the third seed, the highest of the teams not ranked in the ITA Top 40 in Division III. Entering the tournament, Whitman is ranked 29th while the Linfield Wildcats — Fox's first-round opponent — is ranked 39th.

"It's exciting to be back in the conference tournament," Bruin head coach Rick Cruz said, "This is the third straight season for us which shows the growth and consistency of the program. This year was truly a team effort as everyone on the roster contributed to the success."

The Bruins have become a mainstay in the tournament with this third year of qualifying, and look to advance to the championship for the first time in program history. Fox will take on Linfield at 2:00 pm, with a live stream available and stats accessible on game day.

"Linfield will be tough but I believe we have the ability to pull off the upset," Cruz said, "We will need everyone focused and playing their best and I believe we can do that."