Feb. 24, 2007

Pacific Lutheran Sweeps Willamette in Tennis Doubleheader

Kevin Floyd

Justin Peterson

SALEM, Ore. - Pacific Lutheran swept a Northwest Conference men's tennis "doubleheader" from host Willamette University on Saturday, beating the Bearcats by identical 8-1 scores at the Courthouse Tennis Club.

With the wins, PLU improves to 4-3 overall and moves into sole possession of second place in the Northwest Conference at 4-1. The Bearcats dropped to 2-4 on the season, 2-3 in the NWC.

The Lutes played without one of its top six singles players but still came away with the easy wins.

In the day’s first match, Willamette’s top doubles team of Donovan LeDoux and Eric MacMillan edged PLU’s Jeff Loranger and Justin Peterson, 9-8, after winning a tie-breaker, 7-5, to decide the pro set. Loranger and Peterson play No. 2 doubles for the Lutes but moved up one spot in today's matches.

PLU’s David Miller and Tyler Ochsner were the winners over Shaun Mihalick and Micah Mack at No. 2 doubles, 8-2. At No. 3 doubles, Kevin Floyd and Jared Vidano downed WU’s team of Fitz Paccione and Geoff Klein, 8-4. Miller's normal partner is Justin Larimore, and the pair is nationally ranked, but Larimore did not make the trip to Salem.

Miller, ranked among the nation's top 50 Division III singles players, led PLU to a sweep of the singles matches with a 6-1, 6-3 win over LeDoux. Floyd, a freshman, was a straight-set winner at No. 2 singles. With Larimore unavilable, the next four PLU singles players - Loranger, Peterson, Vidano and Ochsner - all moved up one spot and won their matches, with all but Peterson winning in straight sets.

In the second match of the day, Loranger and Peterson avenged their earlier loss to LeDoux and MacMillan by claiming an 8-3 win at the No. 1 position. PLU also won No. 2 and No. 3 doubles, with Miller and Ochsner defeating Mihalick and Mack, 8-3, while Floyd and Vidano downed Paccione and Klein, 8-1.

Using an altered singles lineup, the Lutes won five matches in the afternoon competition. Miller and Floyd were victorious in straight sets at the top two spots. Peterson, another Lute freshman, flipped singles spots with Loranger with Peterson winning at No. 3 and Loranger victorious at No. 4. Willamette's win came at No. 5 singles where Mack outlasted Ochsner, 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 10-5 (tie-breaker). Vidano closed out the day for PLU with a straight set win at No. 6.

The Lutes return to action next Saturday with two matches in locations about three hours apart. They face conference nemesis Whitman in Walla Walla at 9 a.m., then take a van up to Spokane where they are scheduled to meet Whitworth at 3 p.m. PLU's lone Northwest Conference loss this season came against Whitman by a 7-2 score on Saturday, Feb. 10.

Match No. 1 - Pacific Lutheran 8, Willamette 1

Singles:
David Miller (PLU) defeated Donovan LeDoux (WU), 6-1, 6-3
Kevin Floyd (PLU) defeated Eric MacMillan (WU), 6-1, 6-2
Jeff Loranger (PLU) defeated Fitz Paccione (WU), 6-1, 6-2
Justin Peterson (PLU) defeated Shaun Mihalick (WU), 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
Jared Vidano (PLU) defeated Micah Mack (WU), 6-4, 6-1
Tyler Ochsner (PLU) defeated Geoff Klein (WU), 6-4, 6-2

Doubles:
LeDoux-MacMillan (WU) defeated Loranger and Peterson (PLU), 9-8 (7-5)
Miller-Ochsner (PLU) defeated Mihalick and Mack (WU), 8-2
Floyd-Vidano (PLU) defeated Paccione and Klein (WU), 8-4

Match No. 2 - Pacific Lutheran 8, Willamette University 1

Singles:
David Miller (PLU) defeated Eric MacMillan (WU), 6-2, 6-3
Kevin Floyd (PLU) defeated Donovan LeDoux (WU), 6-4, 7-5
Justin Peterson (PLU) defeated Fitz Paccione (WU), 6-3, 7-6 (10-8)
Jeff Loranger (PLU) defeated Shaun Mihalick (WU), 6-3, 6-1
Micah Mack (WU) defeated Tyler Ochsner (PLU), 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 10-5*
Jared Vidano (PLU) defeated Geoff Klein (WU), 7-5, 6-1

Doubles:
Loranger and Peterson (PLU) defeated LeDoux and MacMillan (WU), 8-3
Miller and Ochsner (PLU) defeated Mihalick and Mack (WU), 8-3
Floyd and Vidano (PLU) defeated Paccione and Klein (WU), 8-1

* Tie-breaker instead of third set

- PLU -