Missionaries live up to billing

March 19, 2009

SALEM, Ore. - Whitman showed it is worthy of its national ranking, handing a solid Linfield team a 7-2 Northwest Conference setback Thursday at Courthouse Athletic Club.

The defending NWC champion Missionaries, ranked 21st nationally and fifth in the West Region, moved to 14-2 for the season and kept their conference record spotless at 13-0. Linfield, rated ninth in the West Region, suffered its fourth loss against eight wins. The Wildcats are now 8-3 in the NWC.

Whitman jumped to a 3-0 advantage after the doubles, but each flight was a closely contested bout. At No. 1, Quin Miller and Christoph Fuchs wormed their way past the Linfield duo of Walt James and Brent Kingzett (Jr., Eugene, Ore.) by an 8-6 count. The Missionaries’ Dan Wilson and partner Justin Hayashi knocked off the Wildcats’ Nick Ruess and Ward Van Mens 8-6 at No. 2. And Nadeem Kassam and Chris Bailey went to the wire to defeat Linfield’s Kyle Anderson (Sr., Scottsdale, Ariz.) and Tal DeWitt (Jr., Battle Ground, Wash.), 9-8 (5) at No. 3.

Three of the singles matches went to a third set with Whitman winning two. Jake Cappel muscled past Anderson 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 at No. 3, James defeated Kassam 6-7 (6), 7-5, 10-5 at No. 4, and Fuch won a neck-and-neck battle at No. 6, 6-2, 4-6, 10-8.

In other matches, Bailey downed Van Mens, 6-4, 6-4 at No. 1 while Ruess topped Wilson 6-1, 7-5. Miller held off Mark Magdaong (Jr., Lahaina, Hawaii) 6-4, 6-4 at No. 5.

COMING UP: Linfield hosts the Willamette Bearcats Friday at the Linfield Tennis Center. Match time is 1 p.m.

Nick Ruess
Straight sets winner