March 6, 2008

MEN’S TENNIS: Lutes Take on Portland State, Pacific

THIS WEEK: Pacific Lutheran at Portland State, Saturday, 9 a.m.; PLU at Pacific, Saturday, 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

SLIPPING IN A NON-CONFERENCE MATCH: Pacific Lutheran, 6-4 overall and 5-2 against Northwest Conference opponents, slips in a non-conference match among a string of 10 conference counters this coming Saturday against the Portland State Vikings in Portland, Ore. The match is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. and the Lutes figure to go with their best lineup against that NCAA Division I opponent. The Vikings come into Saturday’s match with a 1-7 dual match record, with their only win coming against another Northwest Conference foe, Linfield. The Vikings won that match, 5-2, back on Feb. 24. Since then, Portland State has not had a match.

…WHILE ALSO PLAYING A CONFERENCE OPPONENT: Portland State will not be the Lutes’ only opponent this weekend as PLU will send the second part of its split squad to Oregon to face the Pacific Boxers in a pair of Northwest Conference matches. The teams will play at 10 a.m. and again at 2 p.m. at the Tualatin Hills Tennis Center in Beaverton, Ore. The Boxers have been mired at the bottom of the Northwest Conference for a number of years and, while improved this year, come into Saturday’s action winless in a total of seven matches. Combined, the Pacific players have combined to win only eight sets while losing 55 this year.

LAST WEEKEND: Pacific Lutheran split a pair of conference home matches last Saturday, losing 9-0 to Whitman and winning 8-1 against Whitworth. The Whitman match, played at the UPS Tennis Pavilion, went decidedly in the favor of the Missionaries, who three weeks ago beat the Lutes by a 6-3 score. The visitors were especially tough in singles, needing three sets in only two of the six matches. Matt Solomon beat Kevin Floyd, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) at No. 1 singles, while Jake Cappel topped Justin Peterson, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 at No. 3 singles. Pacific Lutheran had little trouble in the Whitworth match, and in fact did not lose a set during singles play. Whitworth picked up its lone team point at No. 3 doubles where Scott Donnell and Colin Zalewski defeated Jared Vidano and James Crosetto, 8-6. Kevin Floyd and Michael Manser, normally PLU’s No. 2 doubles team, played at No. 1 and defeated Ed Anegon and Joe Wales, 8-5. Scott Peterson played with Scott Sheldon and the Lute duo beat Josh Steele and Henry Williams at No. 2, 8-4. Kevin Floyd defeated Steele, 6-0, 6-2, to win the top singles match. With normal No. 2 singles player Justin Larimore not playing against Whitworth, the next five Lutes all played up one spot and won. Peterson moved up to No. 2 and defeated Anegon, 6-4, 6-2, while Manser defeated Wales, 6-3, 6-4, at No. 3. Vidano got a measure of revenge in his No. 4 singles match against Donnell, winning 6-3, 6-2, while Scott Sheldon beat Williams at No. 5, 6-1, 6-4, and John deMars topped Zalewski at No. 6, 7-6, 6-1.

- PLU -