Whitman’s men’s and women’s tennis teams thinned out the competition at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division III North West Regional Championship from Sept. 19 to Sept. 21, setting the stage for multiple championship matches between Whitman teammates and a slew of hardware. The tournament, hosted by George Fox University, pitted NWC teams against one another over three days of action.
On the men’s side, all three tournaments — doubles, singles A, and singles B — saw a Whitman champion, and both singles tournament finals saw two Whitman players face off against each other.
Whitman players dominated their first-round matches, with only one of the matches going to three sets. Junior Alexander Stage and senior Artem Manov, ranked No. 1 seed and No. 12 seed, respectively, moved through the rounds with ease, winning all but one match in two sets. It took Manov three sets to upset George Fox sophomore Zach Moore, the No. 2 seed, in the semifinal match. Next, he faced off against his teammate in the final.
“It was definitely really fun,” Manov said. “Playing a teammate gives off really good vibes in general. It’s a great, friendly and competitive environment.”
Stage believes that playing against a teammate brings about a different type of competition than players are typically used to.
“It’s way tougher to play against a teammate,” Stage said. “You want to remain friends after, so you have to be very respectful towards each other. If I was going to play against someone from another team, I’d be a bit more wild.”
Stage got the best of his teammate in two sets, 6-4 and 6-3, to take home the championship. Both teammates gave their all in the final match, and Manov put up a tough fight against Stage.
“The final against Artem [Manov] [was the toughest match],” Stage said. “He has a big game and a massive serve, so it was tough to play against him.”
Despite falling to his teammate in the singles A tournament, Manov took home a championship with his teammate, senior Charlie Rush, in the doubles tournament. The two faced off against Lewis & Clark College and secured the championship in two dominant sets, 6-4 and 6-1.
The singles B tournament also saw two Whitman players in the final round. Senior Gunnar Woller and first-year Claes Hansen faced off in three competitive sets, with Hansen securing the win.
Head Coach Jeff Northam was pleased with the way his team competed throughout the tournament and the support that the players showed for their teammates.
“The guys competed so well,” Northam said. “I love how energized they were and how they supported each other.”
Northam believes that the team’s performance has set them up for success in the upcoming regular season.
“[The team’s performance] puts us up in a great spot,” Northam said. “We graduated eight guys last year … Everybody thought we were down and maybe had their sights on taking us down this year, but I think this opens some eyes a little bit.”
Stage echoed this sentiment and expressed enthusiasm for the team’s regular-season outlook.
“[The team] performed at a very high level,” Stage said. “That showed the rest of our conference that we have a great team, and I’m very hopeful for what’s to come.”
The women’s team enjoyed similar success thanks to a well-rounded performance that included encouraging showings from newcomers and dominance from returners.
“The regional was a great success,” Head Coach John Hein said in an email to The Wire. “Five of the nine players we brought were playing their first college matches, and I was really impressed with both how they all competed and how they’ve grown in just a few weeks of practice.”
In particular, first-year Renata Rosell excelled, winning the singles A tournament in three sets over Lewis & Clark College. Coach Hein characterized her tournament performance, which also included a semifinal appearance in the doubles tournament, as “super tough.”
Returners made waves for the Blues as well, including senior Sascha Wells and sophomore Nana Vang, who triumphed 6-4, 7-6 in the doubles tournament over Pacific University.
“I’m super proud of Sascha and Nana for how consistent and mentally tough they were to win the doubles draw, which earns them all-American status and a trip to this week’s ITA Cup,” Hein said.
The ITA Cup is set for Oct. 16 through Oct. 19 in Rome, GA; there, the Blues will look to build off of a strong opening to the season.
