Newberg, Ore. — The Bruins men's tennis team faced off against the preseason favorite, the Whitman Blues, losing the match 7-0. The Bruins, however, stole a major doubles match in the process.

How It Happened

The Bruins' three-game win streak finally snapped after today's tough matchup against their conference opponent.

Zach Moore and Aiden Cruz started the day by competing against the 14th-best doubles duo in the nation, Artem Manov and Charles Rush. The Bruins aimed to knock off this No. 1 matchup and succeeded! The 6–4 final demonstrated impressive persistence and prowess from the junior–freshman duo.

On Court 2, Luis Hernandez and Keita Shoji couldn't get over the hump and fell 6-2, while Joseph Vece and Bernardo Martinez fell to the No. 3 doubles team for Whitman, 6-3.

Moore nearly came back on Court 1 after losing set one to the 10th-best singles player in the nation, Alexander Stage. The junior lost set one 6-3 before ending set two in nail-biting fashion, ultimately falling 7-5.

Shoji faced tough competition in the No. 2 matchup for the day, winning three games across both sets, which were 6-1, 6-2 losses. Hernandez also had his work cut out for him, playing against the 29th-best player in Division III, Manov. Hernandez gave it his all but ended up dropping both sets 6-0, 6-2.

On Court 4, Cruz went scoreless in his first set, 6-0, and came close to rallying a comeback against his opponent before losing his second set 6-4. Vece won two games against his adversary on Court 5; however, both sets fell in the Blues' favor, 6-2, 6-0.

Martinez managed to win one game in each of his sets against the No. 6 competitor for Whitman in a two-set loss of 6-1, 6-1.

Fox now sits tied for second in the conference standings alongside Whitworth with a 3-1 NWC record, going 3-2 on the season.

What's Next

The Bruins will remain on the road and play Sunday, March 1, at 11:00 a.m. to take on the Whitworth Pirates in Spokane, Wash.