By: Cody Wright
SPOKANE, Wash. – The Whitworth women's tennis team travels to Texas this week to play a trio of unfamiliar American Southwest Conference opponents. The Pirates start the trip with a match at LeTourneau on Monday at 1:00 pm (PST) before heading to East Texas Baptist on Tuesday and Mary-Hardin-Baylor on Wednesday at noon.
Check the women's tennis schedule for live updates on all the weekend's action.
The Pirates: Whitworth (4-6 overall, 4-4 Northwest Conference) fell in a pair of rematches against Whitman and Lewis-Clark St. College last weekend.
The Pirates began the second half of the NWC schedule with a 6-1 loss to Whitman on Saturday in Walla Walla. The Blues swept the doubles point and took five of six singles matches. Gracie Smyley had her six-match win streak snapped with a 6-1, 7-6 (7-5) loss to Whitman's Teleya Blunt. Olivia Corbett secured the lone Whitworth point of the match after wearing down her opponent 7-5, 6-0 in the No. 6 singles match.
On Sunday, the Pirates hosted Lewis-Clark St. College and fell 5-2 in the team's second meeting of the season. Gracie Smyley and Faith Kert avenged their previous loss to the Warriors' top doubles pair with a 6-4 win. Olivia Corbett and Audrey Judson dominated in the third doubles match (6-0) to win the doubles point. Smyley got back on track with a 6-1, 6-1 win in the No. 1 singles match for the second and final Whitworth point.
The Opponents: LeTourneau hosts Whitworth with a 4-6 overall record on the season. The Yellowjackets will play three matches this weekend prior to hosting the Pirates on Monday. Sophomore Isa Casso is 6-4 as the No. 1 singles player for LeTourneau. Junior Elizabeth Moreau competed in the second singles slot and pairs with Casso as the top doubles duo.
East Texas Baptist has played just six matches (3-3) this spring due to four cancellations. The Tigers will play two matches this weekend before Whitworth visits on Tuesday. Junior Monique Ybarra and Sophomore Bailey Smith have split time in the No. 1 and No. 2 singles positions to lead the ETBU. Ybarra has a 2-3 record this season and Smith is 5-1, while pairing for a 4-2 record as the top doubles duo.
Mary Hardin-Baylor hosts the Pirates with a 3-5 record this season but will play a pair of matches this weekend before the Bucs arrive in Belton on Wednesday. Junior Erin Kittredge leads the Crusaders with a 5-3 record in No. 1 singles position. Junior Lori Bryan is the No. 2 singles player who holds a 3-5 record. Sophomores Bailee Lane and Jolin Ha pair in the top doubles position with a 4-4 record.
NWC Standings: Whitman remained at the top of the standings with an 8-1 conference record. George Fox is second at 7-1 and Pacific is close behind (8-2). Whitworth (4-4) is alone in fourth. Lewis & Clark is now 4-5 and jumped into fifth. Willamette (2-6), Puget Sound (2-9) and Linfield (1-8) round out the standings.
The Coach: Rachel Aldridge is in her 11th year as Whitworth's head women's tennis coach after serving as an assistant from 2012-2014. The Pirates have a dual record of 92-91 during her tenure, including a 59-43 mark in Northwest Conference matches. Aldridge was a four-year standout player at Whitworth and earned first-team All-NWC honors each of her four years. She was selected by conference coaches as the NWC Sportswomen of the Year in 2011 and named NWC Player of the Year in 2011.
Looking ahead: Whitworth will return to NWC play at Pacific (Ore.) on March 29th and at Willamette on March 30th.
