Grant Lucas
Although the Linfield men’s tennis squad remains undefeated in Northwest Conference play, it was dealt its first loss by Eastern Washington University.
The Wildcats easily beat George Fox University on Feb. 27, winning 9-0. Sophomore Tal DeWitt recorded the most decisive victory among the singles, breezing by Bruin freshman Ross Budreau 6-0, 6-0.
Junior Kyle Anderson played in the closest singles match of the day as he fended off freshman Stefan Lagielski 3-6, 6-4 and 10-4.
In doubles play, senior leader Luke Rembold and sophomore Mark Magdaong posted an 8-5 win over Bruins freshmen Scott Barnett and Budreau.
The Wildcats traveled to the Tualatin Hills Tennis Center on Feb. 28 to face off against the Pacific University Boxers where the ’Cats became victors, winning 8-1.
Pacific single victory was recorded by freshman Eric Furuya when he defeated DeWitt in three sets 6-1, 1-6 and 7-5.
Next, Magdaong ousted sophomore Nhat Nguyen followed by a win from junior Matt Kauffman.
Linfield won all three doubles matches, the most absolute by sophomore Brent Kingzett and freshman Walt James, who prevailed 8-1 over freshmen Micah Leo and Spencer Hing.
“Our guys have really come together as a team,” Rembold said. “It’s a tight squad and we spend a lot of time with each other. There’s a difference between playing for a teammate and playing for a brother.”
Following the matches, the Wildcats traveled to Lincoln City and lost to EWU 7-0.
The ’Cats couldn’t keep up with EWU as the Eagles posted convincing wins. In a heated battle, Anderson pushed senior Kyle Schraeder to the limit in the first set, but Schraeder squeaked by 7-6. He then recorded a 6-1 victory in the second and winning set.
Linfield will travel to Whitman College on March 6. The Wildcats will then take on Whitworth University on March 7.