PORTLAND, Ore. – With a chance to clinch a Northwest Tournament spot, the Whitworth Pirate women's tennis team dropped a hard-fought match 4-3 to Lewis & Clark on Saturday.

After a 3-0 match deficit, the Pioneers (9-9, 7-6 NWC) completed a strong comeback win to move to fourth in the conference standings, while the Pirates now sit at 6-7 in conference play (9-9 overall).

Whitworth got off to a hot start with a doubles sweep. Each Pirate pair earned a 6-3 win to take the first match point. Gracie Smyley and Faith Kert secured their fourth straight doubles victory in the No. 1 position.

The Pirates further extended their match lead with a pair of wins in the No. 2 and No. 3 singles matches. Kert earned a 6-2, 6-0 dominant win before Paige Oliver defeated her opponent 6-2, 6-2.

The L&C comeback was secured with four three-set singles victories. Maya curry took down Jordan Turner-Esposito 6-4, 0-6, 7-6 (9-7) in a tight battle before Smyley fell in the No. 1 position. Clara Todd won her first set 7-5, but Anna English fought back to win the next two sets (6-4, 6-0) and tie the match at three. With the match up for grabs, Audrey Judson battled in her first set but dropped it in a tiebreaker 7-6 (7-3). Judson controlled the second set 6-2 before Allison Gabelman completed the Pioneer comeback with a 6-3 win in the third set.  

The Whitworth women close the regular season with a match at Puget Sound on Sunday at 11:00 am. The Bucs will need a win and a Lewis & Clark loss at Whitman to enter a tiebreaker for the final NWC Tournament spot.