No. 1 Doubles Tandem Leads Boxers In Battle With Whitman
Box Score
WALLA WALLA, Wash. – Led by a hard-fought doubles win by
Giancarlo Battaglia (Jr., Sherman Oaks, Calif.) and
Troy Zuroske (Sr., Richland, Wash.), Pacific proved a worthy opponent for Northwest Conference men's tennis power Whitman Friday as the Boxers dropped a 6-3 decision to the Missionaries at the Whitman Outdoor Courts.
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Battaglia and Zuroske managed to down Whitman's formidable No. 1 doubles tandem of Andrew La Cava and Colton Malesovas, 8-6. That win proved critical as the Missionaries took the lower two doubles flights to take a 2-1 lead into the singles matches.
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Whitman swept the top four flights, but the Boxers showed resilience at No. 5 and No. 6.Â
Josh Bernstein (Fr., Novato, Calif.) held off a second set rally to take a 7-5, 5-7, 10-8 win over Peter Jivkov at No. 5 while
Clark Wininger (Fr., San Francisco, Calif.) scored a 6-3, 6-4 decision in the No. 6 match over James Rivers.
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"I'm really proud of our guys effort," said Pacific Head Coach
Brian Jackson. "We showed that we belong with them and that we are getting closer. We feel good about our effort."
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Brennan Faith (Fr., Redondo Beach, Calif.) and
Grayson Frazier (Jr., La Canada, Calif.) battled in close No. 2 doubles match with Andy Riggs and Jake Hoeger, but the Missionaries prevailed for the 8-6 victory. In the No. 3 match, Rivers and Steven Roston prevailed in an 8-3 win over
Alen Suklje (Jr., Beaverton, Ore.) and Rueben Mulhern (Fr., Boise, Idaho).
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Whitman went straight sets in each of the top four singles matches. Malesovas was a 6-4, 6-1 winner over Battaglia at No. 1, while La Cava was a 6-3, 6-1 winner over Zuroske at No. 2. Riggs notched a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Faith at No. 3 while Roston was a 6-1, 6-2 winner over Frazier at No. 4.
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Pacific concludes its eastern Washington road trip tomorrow afternoon, playing at Whitworth at noon.
