April 21, 2007

Lutes Finish Fourth at NWC Tourney After 5-4 Loss to Whitman

NWC Tournament Web Site

Nicole Petrzelka - senior finishes with two victories

YAKIMA, Wash. – Pacific Lutheran entered the Northwest Conference Tennis Championships as the No. 4 seed in the women's division. That's where the Lutes finished after they dropped a close 5-4 decision to No. 3 seed Whitman on Saturday morning at the Yakima Tennis Center.

Whitman picked up two of the three doubles points, and that proved to be the difference as the two squads split the six singles matches. PLU's No. 1 duo, Nicole Petrzelka and Erika Feltus, got the Lutes off to a good start with an 8-4 win over Margo Lentz and Katie Collier, but Whitman scored wins in the other two matches. At No. 2 doubles, Hadley DeBree and Divneet Kaur beat Bria Smith and Ashley Coats, 8-6, and at No. 3 it was Maura Flaherty and Katie Oost beating Ashley Brooks and Tracy Fujitani, 8-4.

Petrzelka and Feltus both won straight set victories at the top two singles spots, and Ashley Brooks took a three-set win over Kaur. The Missionaries won the other three matches, however, including a three-set win from Oost against Smith.

The Lutes finish their season with a 14-7 overall record, and seniors Petrzelka and Smith concluded their collegiate careers.

No. 3 Whitman 5, No. 4 Pacific Lutheran 4

SINGLES
1. Nicole Petzelka (PLU) def. Hadley DeBree (WTMN), 6-3, 6-4
2. Erika Feltus (PLU) def. Katie Collier (WTMN), 6-2, 6-2
3. Margo Lentz (WTMN) def. Ashley Coats (PLU), 6-2, 6-2
4. Katie Oost (WTMN) def. Bria Smith (PLU), 3-6, 6-3, 6-1
5. Maura Flaherty (WTMN) def. Tracy Fujitani (PLU), 6-4, 7-5
6. Ashley Brooks (PLU) def. Divneet Kaur (WTMN), 3-6, 6-4, 6-3

DOUBLES
1. Petrzelka/Feltus (PLU) def. Lentz/Collier (WTMN), 8-4
2. DeBree/Kaur (WTMN) def. Smith/Coats (PLU), 8-6
3. Flaherty/Oost (WTMN) def. Brooks/Fujitani (PLU), 8-4

- PLU -