Halfway through the season, sophomore Ella Riddle and freshman Elsa Harris make for a very intimidating doubles duo that are definitely contenders for the rest of the Northwest Conference. Riddle and Harris have had excellent success with their doubles pairing.

When Co-coach Lisa Macy-Baker told Riddle that she’d be receiving a recruit, Riddle said, “I got really excited when coach told me about Elsa and we got along really well from the beginning.”

Harris having little doubles competitive experience meant it “took a little while for them to gel with each other, but they’ve made great strides this season and the progress has been speedy and just gotten better,” Macy-Baker said.

With five remaining conference matches, one against Lewis and Clark, the number one in the conference, Riddle said, “I’m not nervous, when opponents play their best doubles, it allows us to be able to play our best doubles is really exciting because it makes us play better.”

Harris agreed and continued, “I’m excited to see how we match up against them.”

Macy-Baker believes that Riddle and Harris will match up extremely well against Lewis and Clark’s duo and “they are playing like the best doubles team in the conference, they lost to Whitman our first match of conference play and won the second time.”

When asked if Macy-Baker’s hopes were met about this doubles team she said, “They are definitely meeting my expectations and I have high expectations, they just continue to grow.”

Captain Courtney Mostul, ’17, said, “They’re a great combination because of their excellent communication on the court and they complement each other with different skill sets and it’s always a pleasure to watch them play together.”

Going into tough matches for the rest of the season, the duo is focusing on first serve percentage and getting to the net which is a challenge, however, they have the skill sets to win at the baseline and dictate the match in its entirety.

Riddle suggested that she’s been playing some of her best doubles because her partner supports her.

“Elsa recognizes my strengths and weaknesses and allows me to take risks,” she said.

“Ella is always pumping me up, working with her is amazing, she’s a great coach and always really encouraging,” Harris said.

Catch Riddle and Harris on the courts April 9 against Pacific Lutheran and April 10 against Willamette.