SAMANTHA LUND
Editor-In-Chief
lundsr@plu.edu
Match One
Men’s Tennis took a tough 9-0 loss to Pacific this afternoon as they look to their last few matches of the season.
The Lutes held strong, going back and forth in several matches before ultimately losing to Pacific University. Every doubles team seemed evenly matched beginning the dual.
One doubles James Okubo and DJ Pekoc took an 8-4 loss while Jeremy Marsh and Noel Oteng-Mensah managed an 8-3 loss at two. At three doubles, Chan Thourk and Justin deMattos gave Pacific’s Griffin Fraser and Chris Dalton a run for their money, taking five games before ultimately taking an 8-5 loss.
Singles saw less action, with Pacific giving up less than four games in almost every set. At five, deMattos came out strong with the closest match of the day. DeMattos took the first set against Pacific’s Nyles Moisson before ultimately coming home with a 6-3, 4-6 (10-6) loss.
Match Two
Men’s Tennis will bring home a 5-4 loss to Willamette after a nail-biting dual this afternoon.
The Lutes began the afternoon strong, taking two of the first three doubles matches.
At one, James Okubo and DJ Pekoc took an 8-3 loss but were followed up by two close wins. Jeremy Marsh and Noel Oteng-Mensah stepped up in the two spot, getting a close 9-7 win. Chan Thourk and Justin deMattos gave PLU a second 9-7 win, bringing the Lutes up 2-1 going into singles.
The Lutes and the Bearcats were very evenly matched through singles as well. At one, Oteng-Mensah took a loss to Willamette’s Blake Brash after forcing him to extra points in the second set, ending with a 6-3, 7-5 loss.
Marsh also had a close match at two with the final score coming down to extra points. After taking the first set in a tiebreaker, Marsh lost the second but forced his opponent to a third set tiebreaker, eventually losing 7-6, 1-6, 6-7.
Okubo stepped up in the three spot, giving PLU their first singles win with a 6-2, 7-5 final score.
“[Okubo] had one of his best wins of the year, if not his entire PLU career this afternoon,” Head Coach John Cassens said. “It showed his hard work is really paying off.”
Thourk also brought home a singles win for the Lutes, beating Willamette’s Jesse Mackinney with a quick 6-3, 6-3. However, with two more losses at four and five, the Lutes couldn’t finish off the win.
“It was a very close match,” Cassens said. “It was all decided with a tiebreaker.”
Match One
Women’s Tennis took an 8-1 loss against Pacific this afternoon down in Oregon.
The Lutes might have only brought home one match win, but the team made the Boxers earn every match, battling it out through multiple third set tiebreakers.
In one doubles, Caroline Dreher and Megan Beyers forced Pacific’s Kaitlyn Lomartire and Chantelle Baclay into extra games ending in a close 8-5 loss.
Emily Bower and Emily Beemsterboer also had a close match with an 8-4 loss while Lilly Le and Ingrid Ericksen took an 8-2 loss at three doubles.
Singles continued with similar scores, but Dreher, Beemsterboer and Le found extra power through singles. At four, Beemsterboer gave PLU its single win over Pacific’s Kanani Kea 6-4, 6-3.
Dreher, at one, took the first set but lost her stride through the second, taking a third set loss at 7-5, 3-6 (6-10). Le also had a close match at five. After winning the first set quickly, Le dropped the second and ended with a 6-2, 6-7 (7-10) loss.
“I hope we keep the same momentum of today’s match through to tomorrow’s,” Emily Beemsterboer said.
Match Two
Women’s Tennis hosted Willamette this afternoon and only gave up two matches, taking a 7-2 victory.
The Lutes opened the dual match strong, taking two doubles wins quickly. At one, Dreher and Beyers outplayed Willamette’s Alexis Gjurasic and Mikaila Smith for an 8-4 win. Bower and Emily Beemsterboer also took a quick 8-3 win at two.
Lilly Le and Ingrid Ericksen forced their opponents to extra points at three, but finished with a close 9-8 (7-5) loss.
Singles saw a lot of the same domination as doubles. Dreher started the match with a close match, but after forcing her opponent into a third set, Dreher came up just short with a 4-6, 6-4 (6-10) loss.
The rest of the Lutes had smooth sailing, none giving up more than four games in their matches. Ericksen also had a challenging match after a slow start at six, but was able to find her strength and bring home a 7-6 (9-7), 6-1 win.
