The curtain has closed on the season for the Linfield men’s tennis team.

Three seniors, Bryce Borland, Cody Levien and Ian Rapport, will be saying goodbye to the Wildcats.

“Playing for the Wildcats has been a great honor, and I’m glad I had the opportunity to do so,” Levien said.

Along with junior Zach Lyons, Levien has led the team this year.

“Playing doubles with Zach has been a lot of fun, and we had a good record and some really good wins.”

Levien had a rough season in singles, with a 2-14 record. But he and Lyons earned a 11-6 record in doubles.

“Zach and Cody have put together an all-conference season in doubles, and they finished the season on a high note,” coach Carl Swanson said.

Levien, along with hoping to continue playing tennis, looks forward to seeing his younger teammates improve as players.

“Hopefully, I can find some time to come back next year to watch some of the matches. I’m really interested in seeing how this team will grow over the next three years,” Levien said.

Also leaving the team is international student Matthijs Baurichter from the Netherlands.

This year has been Baurichter’s first experience with college-level play.

“It has been a great opportunity. We’ve had a good trainer. He’s a great coach,” Baurichter said.

This past season has been a tough one for the entire team.

The team is mainly comprised of freshmen, so a rough start might be
expected.

However, most of the team has three more years to continue to grow and improve.

“This is a season of rebuilding,” Assistant Coach Matt Levering said.

All of the players have grown during this past season.

Freshman Micah Roos attained the highest record in singles among the freshmen, at 5-14.

Freshman Luke Kleinman managed a 4-12 record in singles.

Lyons achieved the highest record in singles this year, with 6-12.

The Wildcats played their last two matches April 13 and 14.

Friday’s match, against the University of Puget Sound, ended in a close 5-4 loss.

The Loggers took all three victories in doubles, but the Wildcats came back, winning four out of six singles.

Lyons, Levien, Kleinman, and freshman Ben Brewer all won their singles
matches.

At Saturday’s match, Lyons and Levien won their last doubles match, 8-6, earning the Wildcats’ only point in the 8-1 loss against Pacific University.

The Wildcats ended the season 2-17 in NWC standings.

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Caleb Goad/Staff writer
Caleb Goad can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com.

Freshman Kaila and senior Kiana Nip grabbed wins in both singles and doubles April 14, wrapping up the tennis season with perfect scores and leading the women’s tennis team to an undefeated season against Northwest Conference opponents.

The Wildcats swept the University of Puget Sound, 7-2.

The conference record was part of the women’s tennis team’s seven-year run of Northwest Conference victories.

The game marked the last time that the Nip sisters will play a conference game together, but despite this fact, they led the team, collecting wins in each of their singles matches. Kaila earned her 12th victory of the season after defeating Puget Sound’s Logan Thomapson, 6-0, 6-0.

Kiana also reached 12 victories throughout the season, finishing with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Maddie Thiesse.

The sisters collaborated in a doubles match, nabbing wins over Marissa Friedman and Thompson with an 8-3 score.

Other notable players included senior Abby Olbrich and sophomore Caroline Brigham, who each scored singles victories.

Olbrich overtook Madison Holtz, 6-3, 6-0, while Brigham defeated Jenna Gerdsen, 6-1, 6-2.

The pair, who is ranked as the west region’s seventh doubles duo, scored an 8-2 win over Holtz and Josephine Dow.

Kaila said that she would have to re-adjust her game after her sister graduated and would no longer be her doubles partner.

“It will be hard to adjust to not playing with my sister, and I will miss her a lot,” Kaila said. “On the court, she pushes me to play my best, and of course, she doesn’t sugarcoat anything because she is my sister. I like to set up the point and she likes to the put the ball away. We have complimenting games.”

She said that Kiana was the uniting force on the team, and that some of Kaila’s best times on the court were associated with her older sister.

“I can’t pinpoint an exact favorite memory on the court but I do love playing with my sister,” Kaila said. “Our coach said on Senior Day that she is the glue that brings our team together, and I agree. It will be hard to not have her on the team next year.”

Kaila said that one of the best matches of the season was at Whitman College’s home court.

“The highlight of the season this year was beating Whitman at their home courts because we all contributed to that win with a sweep in doubles and pulling through in singles,” Kaila said.  “I personally felt accomplished because I was unsure if I could beat Morgan, the twin from Texas, but I surprised myself with how well I was playing and how much I improved this season. I honestly feel like I did not have a lowlight this season. We, as a team have worked hard to have undefeated season.”

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Joanna Peterson/Managing editor
Joanna Peterson can be reached at linfieldreviewmanaging@gmail.com.

Linfield’s women’s tennis team won yet another match March 10 against the University of Puget Sound Loggers with a score of 8-1, leaving them undefeated.

“I think we have a really great chance to be the conference champs. That’s our goal and we’re all hoping to achieve it,” freshman Gretchen Jernstedt said.

In the singles competition, senior Abby Olbrich defeated Logger player Maddison Holtz 6-0, 6-0.

Wildcat sophomore Caroline Brigham beat her opponent, Jenna Gerdsen, 6-3, 6-0.

“My goals for this season are definitely to win conference and the conference tournament so we can go to regionals again this year,” Brigham said.

Freshman Kaila Nip won her match 6-1, 6-1 against Maddie Thiesse, but Logger Logan Thompson beat Wildcat junior Lexi Thomas 6-4, 6-4.

“It takes a lot of hard work, repetition, and a strong will to become a good tennis player,” Brigham said.

Senior Kiana Nip defeated her opponent Marissa Friedman 6-3, 6-0, and freshman Kelly Watanabe won her singles match against Josephine Dow 6-4, 6-4.

“Our strengths are our confidence and belief in our ability,” Jernstedt said. “Also, depth and the will to win and never give up.”

The doubles competition ended completely in the Wildcats’ favor. Olbrich and Brigham defeated their opponents, Holtz and Dow 8-3.      Brigham said she had  been strengthing her communication skills on the court, adding to her teamwork.

“Abby and I have been working a lot on communication and new strategies, which seemed to work well in our match this weekend,” Brigham said.

The Nip sisters won 8-2 against Loggers duo Thompson and Friedman, and Watanabe and Thomas beat Ada Yu and Thiesse 8-5.

Brigham speculated on the team’s upcoming challenges, saying that she viewed the competition as an opportunity to improve.

“Our biggest conference opponents are Whitman and Whitworth, but we are playing some nationally ranked teams when we go to California over Spring Break, which will be really tough matches,” Brigham said.

On March 16, the Wildcats travel to Forest Grove to play against Pacific University and play at home on March 17 against Whitworth University.

The big match this weekend is the match against Whitworth.

“That should be a good match to show who is number one in the conference,” Jernstedt said.

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Meghan O’Rourke/Opinion editor
Meghan can be reached at linfieldreviewopinion@gmail.com

Senior Cody Levien (left) and junior Zach Lyons regroup after a match against Whitman double team Andew La Cava and Adriel Borshansky on March 11 at home. Joel Ray/Staff photographer

Senior Cody Levien and junior Zach Lyons continued their solid winning streak March 2 and 3.

The duo had their first loss to Whitman College, putting them at 6-1 in doubles.

“Zach and Cody played together last year at the No. 2 doubles position,” Coach Carl Swanson said. “They had a solid winning percentage, and they are building off of that foundation of success this year.”

Part of their success comes from consistent teamwork.

The two are friends off the court. Levien said they’ve known each other for about three years, since Lyons started at Linfield.

This friendship is a foundation of good teamwork, Lyons said.

“I think a good relationship off the court translates to a good relationship on the court. [It] helps us communicate better,” he said.

Levien and Lyons have different playing styles which complement each other well.

“Cody is an explosive player and very high energy. Zach is more thoughtful and crafty,” Swanson said.

Levien attributed their success in doubles to good coaching.

“Carl is a great doubles coach; he really focuses on fundamentals. I think our fundamentals are a big part of our success.” Levien said.

By sticking to fundamentals, the duo has managed to win several tough matches by being “like a wall,” Lyons said.

By repeatedly executing the fundamentals of good doubles play, the pair overwhelms their opponents.

On March 10, the pair stole an 8-3 win from Puget Sound’s Michael Cutter and Ben Muller.

“A lot of other teams are really aggressive, but we’ve been sticking to the fundamentals, and it’s really helped,” Levien said after the match.

On March 11, the Wildcats faced Whitman, the NWC defending champions.

Levien and Lyons lost their first match this season, with a close 6-8, but they weren’t discouraged.

“It was a good match,” Levien said. “They were pretty tricky.”

The two have been leaders for the rest of the team.

“I’m proud of both of them for setting a good example as leaders and mentors, showing our younger players the pathway to success,” Swanson said.

At the March 10 match, the Wildcats beat Puget Sound 6-3 with four solid wins in singles and two in doubles.

Freshmen Micah Roos and Lukas Kleinman worked together for an 8-4 victory at No. 2 doubles.

Both Levien and Lyons fought hard for victories in the third set at No. 1 and 2 singles.

Levien faced Muller at No. 1 for a close 6-3, 1-6, 6-4 win, while Lyons outlasted Cutter 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 at No. 2.

Freshmen Joel Trousdale and Kleinman also won their singles matches 6-2, 6-4 and 6-2, 6-0, respectively.

The Wildcats will host Pacific at 4 p.m. on March 15.

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Caleb Goad/Staff writer
Caleb Goad can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com.

The men’s tennis team had a tough weekend, with losses to the Pacific Lutheran University Lutes and the Willamette University Bearcats.

The Wildcats played Pacific Lutheran, ending with an 8-1 loss March 2.

The Wildcat’s one point was earned by seniors Cody Levien and Zach Lyons playing No. 1 doubles for a hard-earned 9-7 victory.

In No. 2 singles, Lyons went three sets against the Lutes‘ Dan Cotton, 7-5, 4-6 and 6-2 before losing in the tie breaker.

Freshman Luke Kleinman, also played three sets, competing  with the Lute’s Luke Olson, with Olson coming out on top, 6-2, 4-6 and 6-3.

In singles play, the Lutes had a pair of wins at No. 1 and No. 6.

In the featured match, Lutes’ Zack AhYat beat Levien, 6-1, 6-0, and at No. 6 it was Lutes’ Reed Gunstone defeated freshman Joel Trousdale, 6-1 and 6-3.

On March 3, the Wildcats faced Willamette for a 6-3 loss.

“All of the guys worked really hard. We’ve had a few tough matches but I think we’re really coming together as a team,” senior Ian Rapport said.

The match started out looking bright, with two victories in
doubles.

Levien and Lyons, playing at No. 1 singles against Willamette’s leading duo of Devin Abney and Garrett Vincent, won 8-4, putting the Levien and Lyon at 5-0, as a duo, for the season.

Freshmen Ben Brewer and Trousdale also picked up a victory at No. 3 doubles, with a close 8-6 win over Willamette’s Will Cooper and Cameron Thompson.

Willamette captured five of the six singles pairings, including a tense 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 decision at No. 3, where the Bearcats’ Cody Ferguson topped Freshman, Micah Roos, .

Lyons, playing No. 2 singles earned the ‘Cats’ third point with a 6-0, 6-3 win over Vincent.

The Bearcats owned the lower three flights.

Cooper beat Kleinman 6-3, 6-4 at No. 4, Abney was a 6-4, 6-2 winner over Brewer at No. 5, and Willamette’s Will Agnew-Svoboda beat freshman Tyler Day 6-2, 6-4 at No. 6.

“It was a pretty tough match” Lyons said, “ But we all played hard.”

Rapport praised Lyon’s performance, saying, “I think Zach has been one of the most consistent parts of the team this year.”

With seven freshman on the team, the Wildcat’s are in the middle of a rebuilding season.

“The last few matches have been tough, but we have a lot of young talent.” Rapport said.

This weekend’s matches put the Wildcats at 3-1in NWC rankings.

The Wildcats will be returning to their home courts for the next three matches.

Next Saturday, the Wildcats host Puget Sound at the Linfield Tennis Center. The ‘Cats then battle defending NWC champion Whitman Sunday.

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Caleb Goad/Staff writer
Caleb Goad can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com.