It Goes To Final Match In Boxers, Bruins Tennis Showdown
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FOREST GROVE – A battle between two of the Northwest Conference's top men's tennis teams came down to the final match Saturday as the Bruins' Peter Brown came through in the final match of the day to beat the Boxers 5-4 at the Holce Tennis Courts.
After putting themselves down 2-1 following the doubles flights, the Boxers rallied behind singles victories from
Troy Zuroske (Jr., Richland, Wash.) at No. 1,
Giancarlo Battaglia (So., Sherman Oaks, Calif.) and
Lorne Bulling (Fr., Corvallis, Ore.) at No. 5.
The match came down to a battle between two seniors,
Kolin Wong (Sr., Captain Cook, Hawaii) and Peter Brown, in the No. 6 match. After Brown won the opening set, Wong battled back to keep things close and force a tiebreaker. Brown prevailed, though, winning 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) to give George Fox the win.
“This was a heartbreaking loss for us,” said Pacific Director of Tennis
Brian Jackson. “As it should, it call came down to the final match.”
Zuroske and Battaglia opened the day by claiming their fifth straight victory of the season at No. 1 doubles, easily beating Shawn Aldrich and Chris Lilley 8-1. But the Bruins came back to take the next two flights. Brown and Justin McClain won the No. 2 match over Bulling and
Brian Kyaw (Fr., South San Francisco, Calif.) while Preston Mann and Drew Milton beat
Alen Suklje (So., Portland, Ore.) and Wong, both by 8-3 scores.
Zuroske and Battaglia brought the Boxers back to even in the first two singles matches. Zuroske claimed his fourth victory of the season with a 6-4, 6-2 win over McClain at No. 1 while Battaglia improved to 5-0 on the season with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Aldrich at No. 2.
Brandon Schlack (So., Long Beach, Hawaii) held a one-set lead plus a break over Lilley at No. 3, but Lilley came back to claim the next two sets and sneak out with the 2-6, 7-5, 6-1 victory. Mann then gave the Bruins a 4-3 lead with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Suklje at No. 4.
Lorne Bulling (Fr., Corvallis, Ore.) tied the match again with a 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 win over Milton at No. 5, setting up the No. 6 showdown between Wong and Brown.
The win improved George Fox to 6-3 overall, 6-1 NWC. Pacific dropped to 2-3, 2-3 NWC.
Pacific will conclude a three-match weekend on Sunday, facing Division I Portland State at Club Green Meadows in Vancouver, Wash.
