FOREST GROVE – Facing adversity for the first time in their third Northwest Conference match, the Boxers showcased their depth in singles to pull out a rare win in Salem, defeating Willamette 6-3 on Saturday.
Pacific fell behind 2-1 after the three doubles matches and saw
Troy Zuroske (So., Richland, Wash.), their No. 1 singles player, go down for the first time this year against NWC competition, losing to Joshua Wong 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. But the rest of Pacific's singles lineup prevailed over the Bearcats, improving the Boxers overall record to 3-1 on the season.
Spencer Hing (Sr., Phoenix, Ariz.) was back in the No. 2 singles slot after sitting out Friday's win over Lewis & Clark. Hing improved to 3-0 in singles play with a surprisingly easy 6-2, 6-1 win over Cody Ferguson.
Giancarlo Battaglia (Fr., Sherman Oaks, Calif.), also well-rested, overcame Garrett Vincent 6-1, 4-6, 6-2.
The drama came in No. 6 singles, where
Scott Kawamura (Sr., Captain Cook, Hawaii) had Pacific's most dominant win Friday, but had to claw through a second set tiebreaker to force a third set, finally dispatching Devin Abney 6-2 in the third.
Brandon Schlack (Fr., Long Beach, Calif.) and
Eric Furuya (Sr., Portland, Ore.) delivered straight set wins at No. 4 and 5.
In doubles play, Zuroske and Battaglia had their hands full with Wong and Ferguson in the No. 1 match, but came back to win 8-6. The No. 2 match was close as well, with Vincent and Abney taking down Hing and Kawamura 9-7.
The Boxers are home for the next two Saturdays, hosting Whitworth on March 3 and defending NWC champion Whitman on March 10. The Whitworth match is scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m. and the Whitman match will be played at 3:00 p.m. at the Holce Tennis Courts.
