NEWBERG, Ore. -- The Bruins split their doubleheader against Whitworth and Willamette on Saturday, setting up a match for second place in the conference tomorrow against Pacific. Today, they also honored four seniors as the team played their final home match of the year. 

How It Happened – Game 1
The Bruins had several close matches in both singles and doubles play against the Blues, with multiple three-set matches and an intense finish in the doubles round. 

Riley Bobkiewicz and Shanah Denham played together in the No. 1 doubles spot today, dropping their match 6-2 to get the day started. The other two matches came down to the wire, with both needing a tiebreaker to decide the victor. Arianna Rader and Kalli Wiker got ever so close to beating Ilina Jha and Sascha Wells in the two spot, but ultimately fell 7(7) - 6(2) to give the Blues the doubles point. Sophie Denham and Cassey Hitch followed shortly after, this time picking up the tiebreaker win 7(7) - 6(3). 

The story of today was "almost," as the Bruins were competitive in every singles match they played. Bobkiewicz finished up her match first, losing to Jha 6-2, 6-0 and handing the Blues an early 2-0 lead. Sophie Denham finished up almost an hour later, losing 6-4, 6-3 after she couldn't quite close either set out. Wiker picked up the Bruins' only match win of the day over No. 10 in the region Teleya Blunt 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 to give the Bruins a glimmer of hope. The Bruins couldn't quite hang on, as Hitch dropped her match 6-3, 7(7) - 6(3), Shanah Denham lost 2-6, 6-3, 1-6, and Juhree Kizziar lost 0-6, 6-4, 6(5) - 7(7). Kizziar played fantastically in the final two sets, nearly pulling off the comeback against Wells. 

Overall, the Bruins showed that they can compete with the Blues, and with a potential rematch coming up in the Northwest Conference Tournament, they're ready to flip some matches and pull off the upset. 

Game Two
After a long game one against Whitman, the Bruins bounced back with a game two win over the Willamette Bearcats. 

Doubles play went smoothly for the Bruins, picking up the one and two matches with ease. Wiker and Rader moved to the No. 1 spot and won 6-2, and the Hitch/So. Denham duo got it done 6-3. Kizziar and Abigail Bond wrapped things up for the Bruins, closing out a wild 7-6 victory to ensure the doubles sweep. 

In singles play, Hitch played well to secure the Bruins' second point of the afternoon. She won 6-0, 6-0, finishing her match in under an hour. Bond came in next with a 6-0, 6-2 victory in the No. 6 spot, moving the Bruins to 3-0 on the day. They secured the victory after Shanah Denham finished up her match 6-2, 6-0 in the three spot. Her sister Sophie followed soon after, winning 6-1, 6-1 over Eva Lief. 

The final two matches of the day went back and forth, setting up two three-match thrillers. Wiker got it done in the No. 1 singles spot, winning her first set 6-1 before dropping her second 2-6. She bounced back quickly in the third, taking it 6-0 to give her a second three-set victory on the day. Bobkiewicz battled it out after a 4-6 first-set loss, coming back 6-1 to send it to a tiebreak. She unfortunately couldn't get it done, losing 0(5) - 1(10) to make the final score 6-1. 

Coach's Thoughts
"It was an amazing senior day! We were able to recognize four players who have meant a tremendous amount to our program and they each got a win. It was also a great day on the courts. The team had a good win against Willamette and we gave ourself an opportunity to beat Whitman. We definitely showed we can compete with anyone."

What Happens Next
After playing the No. 1 team in the conference today, the Bruins will travel to Pacific tomorrow, April 13th, to set up a battle for second place in the conference. The match is scheduled for 11:00 am.