by Miranda Cloyd
The men’s tennis team did not let down the fans who attended the team’s first home conference match, winning 6-3 against Pacific University.
When Whitworth and Pacific went head-to-head last year, Pacific came out on top with a score of 8-1. This weekend, however, Whitworth took five wins in the singles competition and one in doubles. The victory was hard fought and all but one singles match went to three sets.
“They were amazing opponents,” Shanks said. “[Our] guys toughed it out; I bow to them.”
Sophomore Chris Engelmann, who played No. 3 singles, had a highly successful match. He won in three sets, with a score of 3-6, 6-4, and 6-2. After losing the first set, Engelmann had to alter his strategy.
“Dealing with the guy’s forehand, it was a monster,” Engelmann said. “I had to change up the pace so that I could play my game instead of his.”
Engelmann and his partner, freshman Blake Miller, were the only doubles team to secure victory against Pacific, playing No. 2 doubles and winning 8-3.
“We were all very tenacious,” Engelmann said. “It was a great team effort. We were really able to collaboratively accomplish our goal; very hard-fought across the board.”
Whitworth students and staff showed support for the team by attending the match. Both the coaches and the athletes were encouraged and energized by the crowd’s cheers.
“It’s really nice to have some of the Whitworth community to come out to support us,” Engelmann said. “Hearing that ‘let’s go, bucs!’ on the sidelines– we love it.”
The team will spend this week preparing for next weekend’s matches against three different schools.
“These guys did a great job today,” Shanks said. “We’re gonna do great with whatever cards are dealt to us next weekend.”
The Whitworth men will have a match against Lewis-Clark St. at 3 p.m. on Friday, March 1, at the Whitworth Tennis Center. The team will be traveling to Walla Walla, Wash. to compete against Whitman on Saturday. Whitworth will finish out the weekend at home, facing Puget Sound.
Contact Miranda Cloyd at mcloyd16@my.whitworth.edu