In 28 combined regular season matches against Northwest Conference (NWC) competition, the Whitman women’s and men’s tennis teams went undefeated. After a long season of much practice, patience and work put into the game, both teams earned the much-deserved right of hosting the conference playoffs from April 17-19 on Whitman’s very own tennis courts. In front of their home crowd, the Blues remained perfect and were rewarded with hardware: a second consecutive conference Championship on the men’s side and a fourth straight one on the women’s. Combined with Whitman’s domination of the end-of-season Conference honors, it amounted to about as perfect of two seasons as Whitman athletics has ever seen.
Opening up the semifinals against George Fox University, the men’s team delivered with exceptional skill in a 4-0 sweep. First-year Guillermo Rodriguez and junior Hanri Luo secured the first win in doubles, 6-2, followed by powerhouse junior duo Alexander Stage and Niklas Jensen, who put the Blues in front 1-0. In singles, Luo, Jensen and Rodriguez crushed their opponent in straight sets to propel Whitman into the NWC Championship.
“I told them to smile,” Head Coach Jeff Northam said after the semifinals. “They worked so hard all year to be able to play this match at home in front of their friends, in front of the faculty and they earned the ability to play here.”
A day before the semifinals, the NWC recognized the Blues for their success during the 2026 season. Stage led the way, earning Player of the Year honors along with first-team All-NWC honors in both singles and doubles. Jensen received first-team singles honors. Senior Artem Manov made the second-team All-NWC singles list, and Rodriguez made the third-team. Senior Charlie Rush and Manov made the third-team All-NWC doubles list. Across all categories, the Blues were recognized by the NWC nine times in total to lead the Conference.
“It makes me so happy to realize that the other coaches recognize their play, their commitment,” Northam said. “And it’s the greatest honor when your players are honored by other coaches. We’ve been talking all week … about how powerful good attitudes are, and they were supporting each other, played it with good energy [and] great enthusiasm. So I’m really happy to see that they did that.”
When it mattered most on the day following the semifinals, the Blues dominated once again, claiming the NWC Championship with a 4-0 win against Whitworth. The Blues were quick to wrap up the match: Rodriguez and Luo claimed the first win in doubles, 6-0, followed by Stage and Jensen, 6-2. In singles, Jensen (6-1, 6-1), Rush (6-0, 6-2) and Stage (6-3, 6-1) cemented the Blues’ championship victory.
The women’s team, also no stranger to the NWC playoffs, picked up right where the men’s team left off on Saturday, April 18. In the semifinals against George Fox, Whitman came out on top, 4-1. Senior Sascha Wells and first-year Gloria Lau coasted to the first win in doubles, 6-0, and senior Jules Thompson and sophomore Bailey Bell clinched the Blues’ first point, 6-1. In singles, Lau (6-0, 6-1) and Bell (6-2, 6-1) coasted to wins, and sophomore Nana Vang, despite playing a closer game (7-5, 6-1), persevered, bringing the match home.
“I thought we came out in doubles so well, and it’s something we’ve really been working on, so that was incredible,” Head Coach John Hein said. “George Fox is really tough in singles, and they make you work. We struggled a little bit at the start at some spots; [tennis courts] five and six were great all the way through, and everybody was just so tough. Our team responds to any adversity so well. They did that today, so I’m really proud.”
On Sunday, April 19, the women’s tennis team earned its second consecutive NWC title with a 4-0 win against Whitworth. Lau and Wells won the doubles match 6-1, setting the tone immediately, and Vang and first-year Renata Rosell notched Whitman’s first point with their 6-3 win. Vang (6-1, 6-0), Bell (6-3, 6-0) and Lau (6-2, 6-4) proved too much for the Pirates in singles.
The Blues were all over the NWC end-of-season honors, with four players earning All-NWC recognition. Vang won NWC Player of the Year and was selected to the first-team singles and doubles rosters. Rosell joined Vang on first-team All-NWC singles, and the two also earned first-team All-NWC doubles. Wells got second-team All-NWC singles honors, and Bell earned third-team All-NWC singles honors. Whitman’s six selections were the second most in the NWC behind Whitworth.
Both Blues squads turned in a weekend and season to remember, adding to the already stellar legacy of the Whitman tennis program.
“The way everyone is playing reflects how strong and well-structured our program is, but more than that, it shows how close we are as a team,” Jensen said in an email to The Wire. “Everyone supports each other, which creates an environment where you can just go out, play freely and be your best.”
With their Championship wins, the Blues automatically qualified to compete in the NCAA D-III tournament in late May.
“Our team has goals of winning a couple rounds at the NCAA tournament,” Wells wrote. “We set this big goal in the fall along with several other process and outcome goals to keep us focused on what we want to achieve and [we are] motivated to get there.”
Until the tournament, the Blues can celebrate their status as the undisputed leaders of the NWC.
