Nic Miles – Sports reporter.

The Wildcats played a bittersweet match against Lewis & Clark University on Feb. 20. On one of the first sunny days of the spring tennis season, the Wildcats hosted the Pioneers at the Linfield Tennis Center.
The men’s team sent an early message by winning all three doubles matches in straight sets. It showed no signs of slowing down by winning all six singles matches, as well.
The men’s team is ranked second in the Northwest Conference.
Junior Mark Magdaong had a strong showing with a 6-4, 6-1 victory in singles and 8-1 win in doubles.
“Doubles on Friday was very fundamental,” Magdaong said. “We didn’t let our opponents get any momentum to get into the match.”
Magdaong has consistently been a prevailing athlete on the men’s team this season.
“Last year, I had a really successful record, and that definitely pushed me to become an even more competitive player,” he said.
Although he seems to play equally well in singles and doubles matches, Magdaong said he enjoys playing doubles more. He said that he and his partner, junior Brent Kingzett, complement each other on the court and help each other out during matches.
The rest of the men’s team also performed well. Senior powerhouse Kyle Anderson teamed with junior Tal DeWitt to bring home an 8-1 win at No. 2, and senior Matt Levering paired with freshman Zachery Lyons at No. 3 for an 8-3 win.
Coach Carl Swanson is preparing his team to play well, both mentally and physically. Swanson said he believes that focus can help reel in the elusive conference championship.
“This team is improving and playing at a higher level than we were last season,” he said. “This year’s team has huge upside if they continue to battle, work hard and play together and for each other.”
On the women’s side, the Wildcats faced their first loss this season. Beating the women’s team for the first time in nearly a decade, the Pioneers won 5-4 Feb. 20.
Wildcat sophomore Abby Olbrich, the reigning ITA Pacific Northwest Region champion, was defeated by Pioneer junior Amalia Nilsson in a 6-4, 6-1 match at No. 1 singles. However, Linfield responded with three singles victories from senior Sallie Katter and juniors Sophie Larson and Sarah Click.
Ranked first in conference, the Lewis & Clark women’s team bumped its record to 3-0.
“The women are experienced and young,” Swanson said. “We need every player to work hard in practice, be ready to contribute in matches and to play for each other and make each other better.”
The women’s team hits the road to take on No. 2 Whitworth University on Feb. 27, and the men’s team hosts Whitworth on the same date.