Filip Timotija | Staff Writer

The Whitworth men’s tennis team had a non-conference match this weekend, and while they had some close matches, the team ultimately fell to Lewis and Clark State College with the score of 6-1.  

The doubles teams lost all three of their matches while the singles won one match.  

Whitworth lost the first two doubles matches 8-3, while the third match finished 8-2 in the favor of the Warriors.  

The singles also lost the first three matches until it was Nathan Tjelle’s turn to perform.  

The Bellevue native won the first set 7-5.

Tjelle lost the second set 6-3, but with the vocal support of his teammates in the stands, the sophomore was able to pull out the victory in the deciding set.  

“Nathan has improved his game vastly over this past year,” Tjelle’s teammate Ethan Violette said. ”His singles game specifically has become more consistent and he has developed even more weapons. He has another two years at Whitworth and will step into leadership soon. I’m excited to see what he does for Whitworth in the future.” 

The men’s team lost to Lewis and Clark State last time, but this time they were able to squeeze out one victory out of the seven played matches.  

“We have a very young team as everyone in our starting lineup is returning next year,” Violette said. ”With that being said, our youth has led to a lack of experience, but throughout this year we have played many matches. With every match we focus on learning and bettering ourselves. We were excited to give [Lewis and Clark State] a run at home the second time.” 

The Bucs are preparing to face Whittier College on a non-conference road trip where they will face the 2-6 Poets who are looking to find their rhythm after three straight losses.  

Whittier [College] is a solid Division III team with a lot of depth,” Violette said.” Our focus will be to fight for every point while being adaptable. If play styles aren’t working, we will need to explore other options. Our key is the energy we bring. When the boys are chirping, we are a tough team to beat. We’re excited to go in as the underdogs and challenge this Californian team on their home courts.” 

The Pirate will face the Poets in Whittier, California with the first match staring at 3 pm on Mar. 30.