WALLA WALLA, Wash. -- The George Fox men's tennis team saw their postseason run come to an end in the Northwest Conference Championship match, falling to the Whitman Blues in a hard-fought contest on Easter Sunday, 1-4.

How It Happened
Whitman took early control of the match by securing two of the three doubles courts. The #3 duo of Luis Hernandez and Ikuho Ebisu dropped a 3-6 decision to Cameron Yang and Lucas Huang. The Blues followed up with a win at the top spot, as Alexander Stage and Noah Baker edged Lars Schmassmann and Keita Shoji 6–4. The #2 doubles match featuring Jackson Whittaker and Zach Moore was left unfinished, with the Bruins trailing 3–5.

Needing a spark after losing the doubles point, George Fox found one at the #2 singles position, where Zach Moore battled through a three-set win over Cameron Yang (6–0, 3–6, 6–2) to give the Bruins their lone point of the day.

However, Whitman proved too strong in other spots. At #1 singles, NWC Player of the Year Lars Schmassmann fell to Alexander Stage in straight sets (3–6, 3–6), while Ikuho Ebisu fell on court three to Lucas Huang (0–6, 1–6). Keita Shoji pushed his opponent to the brink at #4 but ultimately fell to Artem Manov in a close contest (2–6, 6–7 (6–8)). The #5 and #6 singles matches were left unfinished with Jackson Whittaker and Luis Hernandez both in the middle of tight battles.

What It Means
With the loss, Fox is eliminated from NCAA contention.

Up Next
Despite the loss, the Bruins showed grit and resilience in a championship atmosphere and will look to build on this experience for next season as they hope to return to the NCAA Tournament.