Tennis has taken center stage at Whitman College as both the men’s and women’s teams have accomplished the extraordinary – qualifying for the NCAA Division III Championships after triumphantly clinching the Northwest Conference (NWC) titles on our home courts this weekend.
Whitman competes in the Northwest Conference, which includes institutions primarily from across Oregon and Washington, such as George Fox University, Lewis & Clark College, Pacific University, Willamette University, University of Puget Sound, Whitworth College, and Linfield College. The regular season determines the basis for the playoffs, with the top-scored teams earning home-court advantage – a factor that may have played significantly into Whitman’s hands this season.
Whitman secured their semifinals spots with highly impressive regular-season performances, each team winning the regular season title with a 13-1 record in conference play. The No. 18 women’s team brought out the brooms in their semifinal match on April 18, sweeping Whitworth College 4-0 at the Outdoor Tennis Courts.
Arianna Castellanos and Nana Vang set the tone with a resounding 6-0 victory at second doubles, supported by Ilina Jha and Sascha Wells’ 6-1 victory in third doubles to win the doubles point. Singles saw wins from Sascha Wells, Jin-Olivia Yu and Nana Vang. Vang clinched the final point needed, winning 2 sets in a row while only allowing 4 points scored against them.
The women’s team moved on to the NWC tournament final against Pacific University. Hosted on the team’s home court and with the support of the fans behind them, they fought hard and claimed the championship with a decisive 4-1 win. Castellanos and Vang delivered another flawless doubles performance, winning 6-0, complemented by Wells and Jha’s 6-1 run, giving the team their 1 point from doubles play.
Singles matches featured two 2-1 battles won by Jha and Vang. Yu closed her match decisively in straight sets, allowing only 4 points scored between the two sets. Jha’s hard-fought battle finished with them winning their final set 6-2 to confirm the Whitman Women’s third straight NWC Championship victory.
“It was our last big weekend at home… and our team rose to the occasion. We showed what we’ve been working towards,” Wells said.
The win meant a lot to the team as way of sending off the seniors who have led the team for so long.
“Its really cool to be a part of a team that’s so talented,” said Wells. “This year is a little extra special for me because we have seven seniors out of the thirteen total players. It was my last time playing with the team that I know.”
“Most of us have been playing tenis our whole lives, so to think that our competitive career is ending is really sad. But it’s also exciting to have had this team for the last three years. It’s very bittersweet,” said senior Yu.
The team will now go on to compete for the National tournament from May 9-11.
“It’s really exciting, especially as a senior. This is the best we’ve ever been ranked and I think we have a good shot at making a run,” said Yu.
“Every year our team wants to do better than the last, so it would be awesome to win the second round and go as far as we can,” said Wells. “I’m just really excited to play at nationals again.”
Yu retold the team’s experience splitting on Febuary 15 to play a double header earlier this season as an example showing the strength of the team.
“I think that shows how good and deep our team is that we’re able to split for double headers. It gives you a sense of security knowing that you can depend on your teammates to always have your back. They push me to be better,” said Yu.
Its clear that this team is ready battle and go as far as possible in the National Tournament. They’ve been in this situation both of the past two seasons, reaching the second round vs MIT last season. They won the Midwest Invite Tournament in Wisconsin 3 weeks ago, sweeping Grinnel College 7-0 in the championship game. Their experience in these knockout tournaments gives the team a huge advantage going into Nationals.
On April 19, Whitman men’s team secured their spot in the finals by sweeping Pacific University 4-0 on the team’s home courts.. Doubles pairs Alexander Stage and Noah Baker alongside Charlie Rush and Artem Manov set the momentum to take the doubles point. In singles play, Stage, Cameron Yang, and Lucas Huang each delivered straight-set wins, with Stage standing out with a dominant 6-1, 6-2 performance.
Sophomore Charlie Boyden discussed the importance of home-court advantage.
“It makes a huge difference, because it’s always different playing somewhere else. Everyone’s been working extremely hard and it’s been a super fun season and super nice to get the one seed [and host],” Boyden said.
The men’s final on April 20th saw Whitman take on a well-sought George Fox team, fresh off their own decisive 4-0 semifinal win over Lewis & Clark College and looking to win their fifth successive championship. Whitman took the doubles point after both doubles teams (Baker and Stage, Yang and Huang) took wins in tough fought matches. Singles points were won by Stage, Huang, and Manov. Manov clutched the final point in an incredible 7 8 – 6 6 set, confirming the Blues’ NWC tournament title and qualifying for the Division III National Championships alongside the Women’s team.
Stage, a sophomore transfer from Wayne State, described the vindication of their great season resulting in the championship victory.
“It’s been a really fun journey – just competing and traveling with all the teammates. Everybody steps up in the big matches and just goes for it. We practice around 10 to 12 hours a week, and it really shows,” Stage said.
The players encourage the Whitman and wider Walla Walla community to show up to support athletic events on campus and beyond.
“People should come and watch because it’s really fun to see both the women’s and men’s teams play and see how much we want it. You can see how much effort we put into this, and there’s going to be a lot of intensity, ” Stage said.
For Whitman, qualifying for the NCAA Championships is particularly historic, marking the first time since 2015 that both the men’s and women’s teams simultaneously secured the NWC championship title. The Blues are all set to compete in the National Championships in early May.
