Whitman men’s tennis team quietly demolished George Fox University in a conference match at home, 9-0. The Bruins had no answer for the number 26-ranked Missionaries (NCAA, Division III), as Whitman didn’t drop a single set and outscored George Fox 84-22 in games.
This victory didn’t come as a surprise, as last season the Bruins finished 1-16 overall and winless in Northwest Conference match-ups. However, Whitman was looking to bounce back from a frustrating performance last week against Pacific Lutheran University, where the Missionaries barely pulled out a 5-4 win.
“PLU left a sour taste in our mouths,” said senior Matt Solomon. “[That] was one of the worst matches I’ve ever played.”
Against the Lutes, the Whit men were their own worst enemies, allowing little things to get to their heads. Head Coach Jeff Northam focused on harnessing that energy this week, in preparation for the match with George Fox.
“After our match against PLU, we had talked a lot about energy and trying to play with positive energy. We were very angry on court and it effected our play,” said Northam. “Against George Fox, [I wanted the guys to] really bear down and play with good positive energy.”
The 9-0 outcome was just as much Whitman’s prestige as it was George Fox’s lack of competitiveness. The ease with which the Missionaries dispatched the Bruins was so elegant and deftly done that the matches didn’t provide for too much entertainment.
Early on in doubles action the Missionaries set the tone. They dominated on their home court, Whitman’s Bratton Tennis Center. At the number-one doubles spot, both Solomon and junior Etienne Moshevich stunned the Munoz brothers, Juan and Pedro, 8-0. Similarly, senior Jasper Follows and first-year Jeff Tolman routed their counterparts at third-ranked doubles 8-1, not dropping a game until a 7-0 lead.
The only dramatic storyline in doubles, if you could call it that, was at the second seed. George Fox’s Scott Barnett and Nick Jenness came out of the gates strong, storming to a 3-2 lead over senior Christoph Fuchs and junior Quin Miller. However, the Missionaries remained unfettered. Chipping away at the lead, Miller and Fuchs coolly handed the Bruins an 8-4 loss.
In the singles round there were a few entertaining sets, but otherwise, it was as much of a snooze-fest as the doubles matches.
The headline match pinned Whitman’s own Solomon against George Fox’s number one player, Scott Barnett. Barnett, the Bruin’s only all-conference player, gave Solomon a run for his money as he went up a break at 1-3. However, that would be all the fight Barnett could muster, as Solomon settled down and sent his foe packing 6-3, 6-1.
Seeing Solomon stumble in conference play is a rarity, and this was two weeks in a row.
“This season has been a bit of a struggle,” Solomon said. “I felt that I was playing too conservatively in the beginning, but after talking it over with coach, we changed some strategy. I’m hoping it’ll [carry over] to the rest of the season.”
Tolman had the most trouble, relatively, wrapping his match up at third singles. After a convincing 6-1 first set, he nearly dropped the second but pulled out an inspiring 7-5 second set victory.
In a repeat of their earlier doubles match, Moshevich made quick work of Pedro Munoz with a 6-1, 6-0 victory, at number two singles. Junior Chris Bailey, who did not play doubles, didn’t seem to suffer from that as he handily took care of his counterpart at fourth-seeded singles, 6-1, 6-1. Fuchs joined in on the action at the number-five spot, dismantling George Fox’s Matthew Gardner 6-2, 6-2.
Despite everyone’s tremendous success, perhaps Follows had the best night overall at sixth singles. He outplayed and outmaneuvered the Bruins’ Chris Schoon in every way possible, earning the a well-deserved 6-0, 6-0 victory.
This victory over George Fox University marks the Missionaries’ 53rd consecutive Northwest Conference win, an outstanding record that Whitman will certainly keep building upon. Despite being the most successful varsity sport at Whitman, Northam remains humbly optimistic.
When asked what some of the tennis team’s goals are: given that perfect seasons and conference titles are routine: Northam replied, “Routine? That’s funny! There is nothing routine about conference titles or perfect seasons. We are riding a pretty good streak at the moment but it is nothing we discuss. Our team goal for the year is to win the end of the conference tournament which qualifies us for the NCAA tournament.”