The Wildcats pose after winning their conference season. Photo courtesy of Kelly Bird

The women’s tennis team traveled to Spokane, Wash., and finished the Northwest Conference season on top during the conference championships April 16 and 17 at Whitworth University.

Although the women had lost one match to Whitworth on March 11, the women prevailed during the championship and defeated the Pirates. The team dominated and came out in first place. The win automatically advances the ’Cats to the NCAA Division III Regional tournament.

The women won the match against the Pirates, 5-3, during the championship. Junior Abby Olbrich took the win in the No. 1 singles flight against the NWC Player of the Year, Whitworth senior Rachel Burns.

Senior Sarah Click also won in the No. 5 singles flight and clinched the conference win, which allowed senior Sarah Watanabe’s match to remain unfinished.

“It felt great to be able to cinch the conference win. But to be honest, it was a team effort, and I wouldn’t have even gotten that chance had it not been for the earlier hard work by the top four singles players,” Click said in an email. “Their flight set me up to be in that position, as did Sarah [Watanabe], who was right next to me winning her match as well.”

Although her match ended early, Watanabe said she was excited for the team’s win.

“The tournament rule was play until the match was decided so I had to accept that,” Watanabe said in an email. “Obviously, I would have liked to have contributed a win against Whitworth by winning singles, but I was very proud when we won.”

Senior Sophie Larson won the No. 2 singles spot and freshman Caroline Brigham took the No. 4 position. Olbrich and Click made up the only Linfield doubles team that won.

“We focused on beating Whitman before taking down Whitworth. It really was one match at a time. We have known all along that we could beat them because we are a stronger team,” Watanabe said in an email.

Click agreed with Watanabe about beating Whitworth.

“I knew going in to the conference tournament that we were going to compete well with Whitworth for the top spot. They are a tough team, especially in singles, but there wasn’t a singles or doubles matchup that we couldn’t win,” she said in an email. “This weekend was an excellent opportunity to show that we weren’t going home without a fight.”

Linfield will compete next in the NCAA Division III Regionals on May 13-15. The time, place and opponent are to be determined.

Corrina Crocker/Sports editor
Corrina Crocker can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com.

The men’s and women’s tennis teams battled against Willamette University on April 8. The men took on the Bearcats at home, while the women took the win on Willamette’s turf.

The men were defeated 2-7. The loss ended their Northwest Conference season. If they had won the match they would have advanced to the NWC Championships.

“We fought to put ourselves back into position to go [to the championships],” men’s head coach Carl Swanson said. “It was literally the difference of one point. It magnifies how close the difference can be between winning and losing.”

The men lost the match but they enjoyed senior Mark Magdaong’s triumph of becoming Linfield’s all-time leader in singles wins. His win against Willamette sophomore Michael Baumgartner, 6-4, made Magdaong the leader with 54 victories.

“I am proud of Mark. He did such a great job this year leading the team,” Swanson said.

Despite the team’s conference season coming to a close, four seniors will travel to Ojai, Calif. to compete in the Ojai Tournament on April 29 and 30. The tournament will give the men another opportunity to qualify for the NCAA Championships.

Although a small number of men are traveling to compete, there are five seniors that will graduate from the team.

“Over their four year careers, they have put up great numbers and I’m proud of their
accomplishments,” Swanson said.

The women defeated the Bearcats, 7-2, on April 8. The Wildcats ended the season in the No. 2 spot in the conference, allowing them to travel to the NWC Championships. The women won all three doubles flights and all but the No. 1 and No. 3 singles matches.

The women finished the season at the top of the conference and have the numbers to prove it. The women hold an 11-1 NWC record.

The women have the weekend to compete for the conference title, but senior Sarah Click and junior Abby Olbrich are both traveling to Ojai with the men to compete in singles and doubles April 28 and 29.

“I think we have a team of champions to go out and win,” Swanson said. “They have been winning by relatively big margins, which is credit to them.”

The women will travel to compete in the NWC Championship tournament at 2 p.m. April 16 and 17 at Whitworth University in Spokane, Wash.

Corrina Crocker/Sports editor
Corrina Crocker can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com.

Tennis is quickly coming to an end, and the Wildcats have had quite the season, ending on a good note.

The men’s team wrapped the weekend up with three wins, although losing the match to Pacific Lutheran University, 4-5, on March 26. The ’Cats tallied a win on March 25, against University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Wash., 6-3. The ’Cats also won 7-2 against George Fox University on March 31 and then beat Lewis & Clark College on April 1, 9-0.

Senior Mark Magdaong ended the weekend on a high note as well. After the Lewis & Clark match, Magdaong tied with Chris Rivera, class of ’04, for the most singles victories in Wildcat history

“I am proud of myself, and I can’t believe it. I have Carl [Swanson, head coach] to thank. He’s believed in me since coming in freshman year, and he’s allowed me to play my best tennis,” Magdaong said.

During the match, seniors Tal DeWitt and Brent Kingzett won both of their singles matches in the No. 2 and No. 3 spots. The doubles teams also won all of the top three spots for the Wildcats.

The men’s next match is at 3:30 p.m. against Willamette University on April 8. The match at home is the men’s last conference match. The outcome determines if they will head to the Northwest Conference Championships.

“Considering what’s riding on the match against Willamette, there is a lot of pressure on us to avenge our loss against them,” senior Brent Kingzett said. “We have dug ourselves in a big hole after winnable matches to Whitworth and Pacific [universities], but tomorrow is our opportunity to make up for those losses and play our way to the conference tournament.”

The women’s team is on a winning streak going into the conference championships. After a non-conference loss to the University of Redlands, the ’Cats are back on track and have grasped second place in conference.

“I think the team is excited to have clinched the No. 2 spot in conference. We have a competitive conference this year, so second place is something to be proud of. But I also think we wish we would have had another crack at Whitworth during the regular season. Our first match with them was close, so we hope to get that second meeting in the conference tournament,” senior Sarah Click said in an email.

The women’s last match was away at Lewis & Clark on April 1. The women took the win, 9-0, against the Pioneers.

The match earned Click her 50th career doubles win.

Click and her partner, junior Abby Olbrich won the No. 1 doubles seed, 9-8. The No. 2 double’s team consisting of senior Sophie Larson and freshman Caroline Brigham won 8-5. The Wildcat’s No. 3 team, sophomore Lexi Thomas and junior Kiana Nip, won 8-0.

Before, the women hosted PLU on March 27, winning 9-0, the women beat George Fox, 9-0, on March 26, and won their match against Puget Sound on March 25, 8-1.

“I think our team is peaking at the right time. Morale is high, everyone is hitting well, and we are excited to see how the end of the season plays out. The hard work early in the season is paying off right now because it takes a lot of endurance to finish the season strong,” Click said in an email.

The women’s next match will take place at 3:30 p.m. at Willamette University. It will be the team’s final conference match before the NWC Championships.

Corrina Crocker/Sports editor
Corrina Crocker can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com.

Senior Sarah Click hits forehand during a match in California during Spring Break. Photo courtesy of Cody Levien

After a tough trip to Spokane, Wash., to play both Whitworth and Gonzaga universities, the women’s tennis team came back with four consecutive conference wins after a trip to California.

On March 11, the women faced tough competition against Whitworth and lost their first conference match, 4-5. The women also lost a non-conference match to Gonzaga, 2-5.

But the women returned for one match against Hardin-Simmons University, winning 7-2. Then they traveled to California to play the University of Redlands and the University of La Verne. The team lost to Redlands, 1-8, but won against La Verne, 7-2.

“Even though the overall score was 1-8 against Redlands, it does not reflect how close everyone’s matches were against that team,” senior Sarah Watanabe said. “We are just as competitive as them, and the match could have easily gone our way. We have not played a match outside since February; therefore, playing conditions outside could have been a factor.”

The women will face the Lewis & Clark College Pioneers at 3:30 p.m. April 1 in Portland. The ’Cats will play their last conference match at Willamette University at 3:30 p.m. April 8.

With a mixed bag of results, the men began the weekend with a 7-2 win against George Fox University on March 31.

“Our match against George Fox was a great win for us. It was one of the matches in the beginning of the season that we lost 5-4 in matches. But we came out with a lot of energy and focus today, which helped drive us to pull out a 7-2 win result,” senior Mark Magdaong said.

Prior to the match against George Fox, the men traveled to California with the women’s team. The Wildcats lost to Redlands 1-8 and their match against La Verne was canceled because of rain.

“California was a great learning experience for us ,and it always is. We got to see a higher level of tennis, and it was fun to compete against them. Unfortunately our second match was rained out, so we only got to play one match,” Magdaong said.

The men then traveled to Tacoma, Wash., and won against the University of Puget Sound, 6-3, although they faced a tough loss the next day against Pacific Lutheran University, 4-5.

The men will host the Lewis & Clark Pioneers at 1 p.m. April 1 and will host the Willamette Bearcats at 3:30 p.m. April 8 for the final conference match before heading to the Northwest Conference championships.

Corrina Crocker/Sports editor
Corrina Crocker can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com.

Junior Abby Olbrich prepares to hit the ball during a match against the Willamette University Bearcats on March 5 at home. The women’s tennis team won 7-2. Megan Myer/Online editor

The women’s team secured an 8-1 victory at home over Pacific on March 4 and again with a 7-2 win over Willamette on March 5. With the wins, Linfield is undefeated with a 6-0 record in the Northwest Conference.

The women opened with two tight singles matches, with a 7-6(6-4), 3-6, 6-3 win by junior Abby Olbrich and a Pacific win of 7-5, 6-7(6-3), 6-2 over freshman Lexi Thomas. This was Pacific’s only victory of the day. Linfield won against Pacific in the remaining four singles.

Linfield took three wins in the women’s doubles. The No. 1 doubles team, senior Sarah Click and junior Abby Olbrich, won 8-4. The No. 2 team, senior Sophie Larson and freshman Caroline Brigham, won 8-3. The No. 3 team, sophomore Lexi Thomas and senior Sarah Watanabe, won 8-3.

Linfield won five out of six singles matches against the Willamette Bearcats. Two out of the three doubles matches were won by the ‘Cats as well. The women remain a dominant force in conference play.

Sophomore Lexi Thomas anticipates the ball during a match March 5 at home against Willamette University. Megan Myer/Online editor

The men failed to claim a victory on March 4 with a 4-5 loss to Pacific. Linfield lost the first two doubles matches; however, the No. 3 team, seniors Tal Dewitt and Tim Wagar, defeated Pacific in the final doubles match of the day with a narrow 9-7 victory.

Picking up wins in the singles matches were seniors Mark Magdaong, Brent Kingzett and Dewitt. Magdaong won 6-2, 6-4, Dewitt won 6-4, 6-1, and Kingzett won 7-5, 6-2.

Dewitt was the only player to win a singles and a doubles match.

The men suffered another loss, 3-6, to Willamette on March 5 in Salem. But when the Wildcats weren’t successful in tallying any singles victories, they swept the doubles matches.

Magdaong and Kingzett won 8-5, and junior Cody Levien and sophomore Zachery Lyons also won 8-5.

The men’s team has now dropped to a 2-4 conference standing.

“I think to improve we need to figure out a team unity. We need to not focus on the past matches and really just take one match at a time and work to improve that way,” Dewitt said.

This week, the women’s team will travel to Spokane, Wash., for a doubleheader against Whitworth University on March 11 and against a Division I non-conference team, Gonzaga University, on March 12.

The men will host Whitworth at 4:00 p.m. March 12.

Kelsey Sutton/For the Review
Kelsey Sutton can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com.

Senior Sarah Click prepares herself for the ball during a match Feb. 26 at home against the George Fox University Bruins. The Wildcats won 9-0, and Click and her partner won the No. 1 doubles match 8-3. Katie Paysinger/Senior photographer

The women’s team won at home against George Fox University 9-0 on Feb. 26 and on Feb. 27 against Whitman College, 7-2. With both the wins, Linfield remains undefeated in the conference.

The first match of the competition was won by Whitman 6-8, which was played by Linfield’s No. 1 doubles team, junior Abby Olbrich and senior Sarah Click.

Although the No. 1 team fell short, the women’s No. 2 and No. 3 teams recovered the wins. The Wildcat’s No. 2 team, senior Sophie Larson and freshman Caroline Brigham, won 8-5. The No. 3 team, senior Sarah Watanabe and sophomore Lexi Thomas, won 9-7.

For women’s singles, the women took the majority of the wins. The ’Cats won five of six matches against the Missionaries. The women secured the win, as well as the top spot in the Northwest Conference during the first weekend of conference play.

“I expect us to continue to work hard in practice, to be supportive of one another and to play well at our matches. Our goal as a team is to win conference, and I expect us to do that,” senior Sarah Watanabe said about the upcoming season.

The men’s team was off to a great start during its opening weekend Feb. 18 and 19, but it fell short during the last two matches. The ’Cats lost 9-0 to Whitman on Feb. 26 during a trip to Walla Walla, Wash.

The Missionaries proved their national ranking and won 71-straight wins in the Northwest Conference.

The men hosted the next match on March 1, although George Fox took the win. The Bruins came out on top with a 4-5 win over the Wildcats.

The men faced an upsetting match against the Bruins. Senior Mark Magdaong played the No. 1 singles spot and won 7-4, 6-4 and teamed with Kingzett for the No. 1 doubles spot and won 8-4. Sophomore Cody Levein won the No. 2 singles play 6-0, 6-4 and senior Tim Wagar took the No. 6 singles win 6-1, 6-3.

“We’re not pleased with our match against George Fox and are eager to come out and play at a higher level,” senior Brent Kingzett said. “We are looking forward to the opportunity and challenges the weekend present.”

The match against the Bruins left the Wildcats in the middle of conference with two wins and two losses.

“We ended up on the losing side of two close doubles matches, which were determined by tiebreakers. Though we fought back valiantly in singles, the early deficit proved to be too much to overcome.”

The men and women both battle Pacific University on March 4. The women’s match begins at 3:30 p.m. at home; the men at 4:45 p.m. at the indoor Club Green Meadows in Vancouver, Wash., because of anticipated poor weather.

Both teams will play against Willamette University on March 5. The women will compete with the Bearcats at home at 10 a.m., and the men will play on Bearcat turf in Salem, Ore., at noon.

Corrina Crocker/Sports editor
Corrina Crocker can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com.

The men’s tennis team lost in the Ojai Valley Tournament on April 24, but juniors Mark Magdaong and Brent Kingzett advanced to the quarterfinals, where they lost.
The pair fell to University of California, Santa Cruz junior Brian Pybas and senior Marc Vartabedian, 8-2.
“It’s always fun competing against the best, and we have Coach Carl [Swanson] to thank for giving us the chance to travel and play against the best,” Magdaong said.
Magdaong and Kingzett ended the season with a 13-7 record. Kingzett also went on to finish his season with 42 doubles wins, which put him in third for most doubles wins in the men’s tennis program at Linfield.
The tournament was the last of the season. The two will both return next season.
“[The trip] was a lot of fun,” Kingzett said. “Overall, we hoped to do a little better, but Mark and I made the quarters of doubles, which was good for us.”
Magdaong agreed with Kingzett.
“Not every day is a good day, but it was a great experience, and we have a lot to learn from it,” he said.
The pair has high hopes for next season.
“Mark and I had a successful first season playing together, so our expectations for next year will be even higher,” Kingzett said. “I am excited to reach our full potential and see how far that can take us.”
Corrina Crocker
Features reporterCorrina Crocker can be reached at linfieldreviewfeatures@gmail.com