Challenge Awaits Boxers In Return To The NWC Tournament
QUICK LINK: NWC Tennis Tournament Website
FOREST GROVE – A return trip was in doubt for much of the season and Pacific needed a little help from some friends, but the Boxers realized their goal of a return to the Northwest Conference Men's Tennis Tournament.
Last year, the Boxers entered the postseason tourney on a roll with a Struggling with the challenges that a youthful lineup often presents, Pacific entered the 2012 NWC Tournament as the No. 2 seed after going an incredible 12-1 in conference matches and 13-6 overall. Pacific found themselves shocked in the semifinals, taking a narrow 5-4 loss to an up-and-coming George Fox squad.
In 2013, Pacific needed help from those same Bruins to earn the No. 4 seed in the tournament, which begins on Saturday in Walla Walla, Wash. Pacific finished the regular season with a 5-11 overall record and 4-8 NWC mark, but finished fourth in the conference's point standings thanks to the Bruins' 7-2 win on Sunday over Willamette.
Despite the struggle in the win-loss column, Pacific Director of Tennis
Brian Jackson believes the Boxers have plenty to show at the tournament. “Although after last year's performance our goals were to finish much higher than fourth in the conference, we are very excited for the opportunity to keep our season going and continue to prepare for next season,” Jackson said. “We certainly feel that we have earned our spot in the tournament, winning the matches we needed to win.”
Pacific faces a tall challenge when they hit the court on Saturday in No. 1 seed and tournament host Whitman. A perennial national power in Division III men's tennis, the Missionaries cruised to their fifth straight NWC championship with an unblemished 12-0 record and lost only eight matches to conference foes all season.
If the Whitman challenge wasn't enough, the Boxers will enter the NWC Tournament without one of their top players.
Giancarlo Battaglia (So., Sherman Oaks, Calif.) experienced a strain to his Achilles' tendon and will not play.
Troy Zuroske (Jr., Richland, Wash.) will reclaim his No. 1 spot in the singles lineup while
Lorne Bulling (Fr., Corvallis, Ore.) will pair with Zuroske in No. 1 doubles. The two played together for the first time against George Fox on Saturday, with the pair winning the match.
The loss of Battaglia and some aches and pains all through the lineup have done little to diminish the goals Jackson has for the Boxers. “We want to show up and play our best tennis,” Jackson said. “We did not do that a couple of weeks ago when we played Whitman at their place, and we are excited to get another shot. We feel that we can compete with Whitman as well as anyone in the conference, but we will have to have our best to do so.”
Zuroske will give the Boxers their best chance to get things started on the right foot. A two-time First Team All-NWC selection, he appears headed for an all-conference selection again with a 10-6 record in singles. Paired with Battaglia in doubles, the tandem finished with a 10-5 record.
Should Pacific get past the Missionaries, the Boxers will face the winner of No. 2 seed George Fox and No. 3 seed Pacific Lutheran. The Bruins continued their climb in 2012, entering the conference tournament with a 13-4 record and an 11-1 mark against NWC teams. The Lutes are 11-7 and went 9-3 in the NWC.
Fans can follow the NWC Tournament via a webpage on the Whitman College site at
http://bit.ly/10lD0iu.
