Pirates Outlast Boxers In String Of Three-Set Marathons
Box Score
SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth answered Pacific's two victories in the doubles with perseverance in a series of hard-fought three-set singles matches Saturday as the Pirates posted a 6-3 win over the Boxers in Northwest Conference men's tennis action at the Scotford Tennis Center.
The Boxers (1-2, 1-2 NWC) opened the day with a pair of solid, but close victories in the doubles flights. The No. 1 duo of
Troy Zuroske (Jr., Richland, Wash.) and
Giancarlo Battaglia (So., Sherman Oaks, Calif.) improved to 3-0 as a tandem with an 8-6 win over Cameron Williams and Drew Brigham.
Brandon Schlack (So., Long Beach, Calif.) and
Kolin Wong (Sr., Captain Cook, Hawaii), playing together for the first time this season, prevailed in the No. 3 match with an 8-5 win over John Tablot and Matt Goebel.
Whitworth's No. 2 team of Chris Engelmann and Blake Miller prevented a Pacific sweep when they took an 8-3 over
Alen Suklje (So., Portland, Ore.) and
David Yanagita (Fr., Minneapolis, Minn.), 8-3.
Battaglia was the first winner in a singles flight that saw five of the six matches go to the third set. The reigning NWC Men's Tennis Student-Athlete of the Week improved to 3-0 on the year with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 victory over Brigham at No. 2.
The rest of the matches well the way of the Pirates (2-5, 2-1 NWC). Engelmann started the Whitworth rally, coming back from a first set loss to down Schlack at No. 3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2. Williams then succeeded with the upset in the No. 1 flight, taking a three-set match from Zuroske, 6-7, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4. Talbot followed with the only straight set win, 7-3, 6-4, over
Lorne Bulling (Fr., Corvallis, Ore.) at No. 5.
Miller then outlasted Suklje to secure the win for the Pirates, going to a third set tiebreaker before scoring the 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (9-7) win in the No. 4 flight. Goebel and Yanagita also went three sets at No. 6, with Goebel scoring the 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 victory.
“My hat's off to the Pirates,” Pacific Director of Tennis
Brian Jackson said. “They just didn't give up and wont he points when it mattered. We, however, seemed to be playing not to lose again, rather than playing to win. We will have to do some soul searching over the next couple of days to try and find a way to right the ship.”
Pacific returns to the Willamette Valley next weekend, traveling to Linfield on Friday to end a four-match season-opening road swing. The Boxers play their first home match on Saturday against George Fox.
