Whitworth snips Linfield's NWC streak

March 15, 2009

SALEM, Ore. - A clean sweep in doubles spurred the Whitworth Pirates to a 7-2 Northwest Conference victory over the Linfield Wildcats at Courthouse Athletic Club, ending a seven-year, 108-match skein of conference victories.

Before Sunday, the seven-time NWC champion Wildcats had not been beaten by a conference opponent since the 2002 season.

The Pirates remained unbeaten themselves in conference play this season, improving to 11-0 in the NWC and 12-2 overall. Linfield absorbed only its third loss of the season and fell to 9-1 in conference action.

Whitworth assembled three convincing doubles wins to take a 3-0 lead. The Pirates’ duo of Rachel Burns and Alli Marshall topped Linfield’s top tandem of Sallie Katter (Sr., Salem, Ore.) and Sophie Larson (Jr., Eugene, Ore.) 8-3 at No. 1. Lihn Aven and Mya Towne handed the Wildcats’ Sarah Click (Jr., Vancouver, Wash.) and Abby Olbrich (Soph., Vancouver, Wash.) their first conference doubles loss of the season, winning 8-1 at No. 2. And Whitworth’s Justine Hays and Katie Staudinger defeated Sarah Watanabe (Soph., Kirkland, Wash.) and Kiana Nip (Fr., Lahaina, Hawaii) 8-3 at No. 3.

Three of the six singles pairings went to a third set with the Pirates pulling out all three.

Burns scratched out a 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 win over Linfield’s Katter at No. 1, while Towne sent Nip to her first NWC singles defeat at No. 4, 6-0, 1-6, 6-2. And Stauding rallied from a set behind to win 3-6, 6-1, 10-6 over the Wildcats’ Sarah Watanabe (Soph., Kirkland, Wash.).

Linfield collected its points in the middle of the order, where Olbrich beat Marshall 6-2, 6-2 at No. 2, and Larson improved to 10-0 in conference singles action with a 6-4, 6-4 decision over Aven at No. 3.

Erica Bosman won the other singles pairing, 7-5, 6-0, over the Wildcats’ Click at No. 5.

“We came out a little flat in doubles and that hurt us in the long run,” said Linfield coach Amy Dames Smith. “(Flights) 1-6 fought like champions in singles, but we came up short this time around.”

Dames Smith, who experienced her first conference defeat in six seasons as Wildcats coach, remained reflective following the loss.

“The streak is something we are so proud to have gotten into the triple digits, but it's not all this team is about,” she said. “We're about working hard, continuing to improve, and becoming the best we can be on and off the court.”

NEXT: Linfield visits Lewis & Clark in Portland Friday for a 3:30 p.m. match.

Sallie Katter
Falls in third-set tiebreaker