The Whitworth women’s tennis team added to a three-game losing streak last weekend, losing to Pacific Lutheran University 5-4. The defeat places Whitworth sixth in the Northwest Conference.
The Lutes had momentum from the start after defeating the Pirates in all three doubles matches. Whitworth reduced the gap by winning four of the six singles matches. Three of these wins were taken to three sets.
Sophomore Saryn Mooney defeated PLU’s Samantha Lund at No. 1 singles. Mooney is now at 4-3 for the conference season after winning the match 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.
“I picked on her backhand a lot, noticing that that was her weakness,” Mooney said. “That in combination with using some angles and staying pretty consistent is what helped me to win.”
Though Mooney and her partner, freshman Taylor Pena, were both victorious in singles, they were defeated when teamed up for No. 1 doubles. The pair lost 8-3.
“We could’ve taken more risks at the net and we didn’t,” Mooney said. “We weren’t executing the shots that we needed to. We hopefully will get to play this team again and have a little bit more of a game plan. I think we were taken by surprise.”
In No. 3 singles however, Pena didn’t allow her opponent’s initial win in doubles to determine the outcome of singles. Pena took the match in three sets, winning 2-6, 6-1, 6-3.
According to Pena, the match lasted more than two and a half hours.
“I hung in there,” Pena said. “After a while, your mind gets tired so I was just making sure I stayed focused. [I was] keeping it away from her forehand and hitting it deep.”
The Pirates will have two home matches next weekend. Whitworth will face off with George Fox University on Friday, March 15, and then with Pacific (Ore.) on Sunday, March 17.
Contact Miranda Cloyd at [email protected]