In a matchup that had third place in the Northwest Conference standings on the line, the George Fox men's tennis team defeated Pacific, 8-1 on Sunday in Forest Grove.
The Boxers (9-6, 5-3 NWC) got its lone win on the day at No. 3 singles when
Ford Nakagawa and
Sean Murphy were 8-6 winners at No. 3 doubles. One of the more tightly contested matches on the day was the No. 1 doubles match featuring the Boxers'
Oscar Wight/
Rayden Murata, who are ranked No. 14 in the latest ITA West Region rankings against Spencer Watanabe/William Leach, who are No. 6 in the same rankings. It was the Bruins' tandem, who came away with an 8-6 win.
George Fox (12-4, 6-2 NWC), who is ranked No. 33 nationally and No. 8 in the regional rankings, held a 2-1 lead as the match transitioned to singles play. The Bruins won all six singles matches including close contests at No. 5 where Payton Namba edged
Sean Murphy, 6-3, 7-5 (10-7) and Nick Eckern at No. 6 won over
Riley Boyden, 7-6 (12-10), 6-1.
Next, the Boxers will compete in the NWC Men's Tennis Tournament at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington. Action starts with the No. 4 seeded Boxers taking on the host Blues at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 21.
