By: Cody Wright
SPOKANE, Wash. – The Whitworth women's tennis team returns to Scotford Tennis Center this weekend for its final home matches of the season. The Pirates host Linfield on Saturday at 11:00 am before a senior day matchup with George Fox on Sunday at 10:00 am.
Check the women's tennis schedule for live updates on all the weekend's action.
The Pirates: Whitworth (8-7 overall, 5-5 Northwest Conference) split a pair of NWC matches last weekend.
The Pirates fell 6-1 to Pacific (Ore.) on Saturday in Forest Grove. The Boxers swept doubles with a pair of narrow wins. Audrey Judson and Olivia Corbett fought to a tiebreaker but could get the win. Faith Kert earned the lone Whitworth point with a 3-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-8) comeback win.
On Sunday, the Pirates swept Willamette for their first 7-0 victory of the season. Morgan McArthur competed in her second doubles match of the season and earned a 6-3 win alongside Paige Oliver. Gracie Smyley got back in the win column with a three-set victory and Kert won her fifth consecutive singles match in the No. 2 position. Judson, Oliver and Clara Todd each earned dominant two-set singles wins.
The Opponents: Linfield visits Spokane with a 1-11 overall record and 1-10 mark in conference matches. The lone Wildcat victory came on February 23rd at Puget Sound (5-2). Senior Emma Tuttle is 3-6 in the No. 1 singles position 4-5 in doubles when paired with sophomore Kaitlynn Canubida. Canubida is the No. 2 singles player for Linfield and has a 5-4 record this season in that position. The Pirates defeated the Wildcats 6-1 on March 1st in McMinnville.
George Fox is 9-1 in conference matches and 13-5 overall heading into this weekend. The Bruins have won three matches in a row dating back to a six-match trip to Florida last week. Senior Kalli Wiker has split time with sophomore Riley Bobkiewicz in the No. 1 singles position. Bobkiewicz and Wiker often pair as the No. 1 doubles duo, with sophomore Shanah Denham making appearances in that position as well. George Fox has beaten Whitworth three consecutive times, including a 6-1 win in Newberg on March 2nd.
Senior Day: Whitworth will recognize Libertad Sarmiento and Gracie Smyley on Sunday for their contributions to Pirate women's tennis.
NWC Standings: Whitman remains atop the conference standings with a 10-1 record. George Fox is second at 9-1 and Pacific is in third (8-3). Whitworth (5-5) is alone in fourth with Lewis & Clark close behind (5-6). Puget Sound (3-9), Willamette (2-8) and Linfield (1-10) 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 96-92 during her tenure, including a 60-44 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 close the regular season schedule with a match at Lewis & Clark on April 12th and Puget Sound on April 13th.
