by Miranda Cloy
In the final home match of the season, Whitworth was bested by Whitman with a final score of 9-0. With only two matches to go, Whitworth stands at sixth place in the conference and 4-6 for the season.
Junior Dustin McConnell, who plays basketball in addition to tennis, had his first conference match of the season and played No. 6 singles. McConnell was ultimately defeated by his opponent, but brought the score significantly closer in the second set, scoring 6-2 and 7-5.
“I was more patient,” McConnell said. “First set, I had a lot of unforced errors and was going for a little too much. Second set, I just couldn’t come up with quite enough shots to take it to a third set.”
Senior Cameron Williams and freshman Drew Brigham lost at No. 1 doubles in a tiebreak of 11-9. The pair were disappointed by their loss, Williams said.
“The ball hit the net on the last point and dropped over,” Williams said. “We felt like we could’ve had a chance.”
Williams was also defeated at No. 1 singles, scoring 6-4 in both sets. No point was easily won by either opponent; each one was long-fought. Though the scoreboard did not show it, Williams said he had accomplished a great amount in this match.
“I played one of my better matches of the season,” Williams said. “They were some of my favorite points of my entire college career.”
As the season comes to a close, the Pirates prepare to travel to the west side of the state to meet two final opponents in University of Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran University.
“We’re definitely looking forward to playing PLU again,” McConnell said. “We’re hoping to finish up the season strong.”
Not only is this the close of the conference season, but this weekend marks the end of Williams’ collegiate tennis career.
“It’s pretty bittersweet for me,” Williams said. “It’s my last college career match so that’s really meaningful to me. I’m hoping to end the season with a few wins and finish strong.”
Whitworth will meet both teams in Tacoma, Wash., with the match against PLU first on Friday, April 12 and finishing with UPS on Saturday, April 13.
Contact Miranda Cloyd at mcloyd16@my.whitworth.edu