Box ScoreFOREST GROVE – On the ropes with a 2-1 deficit after the doubles matches, Pacific showed great resilience in sweeping the singles, including a trio of three-set matches, to knock off George Fox 7-2 in Northwest Conference men's tennis action at the Holce Tennis Courts.
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The Boxers found themselves in an unusual position against the potent Bruins, losing the No. 2 and No. 3 doubles matches to enter the singles flights down 2-1. The Boxers persevered, though, with
Reuben Mulhern (So., Boise, Idaho) and
Clark Wininger (So., San Francisco, Calif.) taking quick wins to give Pacific a 3-2 lead.Â
Brennan Faith (So., Redondo Beach, Calif.) added a win at the No. 2 flight before
Josh Bernstein (So., Novato, Calif.) outlasted Vincent Viloria in a three-set battle at No. 5 to close out a critical victory in the NWC race.
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"After not having our best in the doubles, the guys took the challenge and fought their tails off up and down the line in singles," said Pacific Head Coach
Brian Jackson. "That was the best performance of a team in singles that I have been a part of him. Every time (George Fox) starting getting momentum, we snatched it right back. I am so proud of their performance."
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The Bruins had victory on their minds, however, in the doubles. Faith and Brennan Frazier (Sr., La Canada, Calif.) opened the day with an 8-4 win over Andrew You and Spencer Watanabe at No. 1. Chris Lilley and Chace Stalcup evened the score at 1-1 with an 8-3 victory over
Giancarlo Battaglia (Sr., Thousand Oaks, Calif.) and Bernstein at No. 2 and took a 2-1 advantage when Viloria and Nicholas Grafton collected an 8-4 win over Wininger and
Oscar Wight (Fr., Adelaide, Australia) at No. 3.
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But when the Boxers needed it, the singles players stepped forward to dominate. Mulhern turned in the first result, scoring a 6-2, 6-1 victory at No. 6 over Mitchell Miyashiro. Wininger added a 6-2, 6-4 win over Grafton at No. 4 to give Pacific the lead and Faith made it a 4-2 advantage with his 6-3, 7-5 win over Lilley in the No. 2 flight.
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The match then came down to three matches that went three sets. Bernstein found himself in his first three-set match of the season when Viloria came back in the second set, but rebounded well to take the 6-1, 2-6, 6-1 victory at No. 5 to secure the team victory for the Boxers. Frazier followed suit with his fifth victory in six three-set affairs, bouncing back from a second set loss to take the No. 3 match from Watanabe, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.Â
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Battaglia closed out the day with his second three-set win of the season as he rebounded from a set down to beat You 2-6, 7-6 (7-1), 10-3. Pacific is now 5-5 this season in three-set matches and entered the match with a 2-5 record in singles matches that went to a third set.
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With the win, Pacific improved to 7-1 overall, 6-1 NWC. George Fox dropped to 7-2, 5-2 NWC.
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Pacific will take a three-week hiatus from NWC competition and will open a string of six matches against non-conference competition on Thursday. The Boxers will host the Univ. of the Ozarks (Ark.) in the final regular season home match of the season on Thursday at 4 p.m. before a five-match southern California trip over Spring Break.
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