Bearcats Hold Off Bucs For Semifinal Berth
In doubles play, Cody Ferguson and Matt Houser teamed up to give Willamette a 9-7 win at the top position over the squad of Shelton and Joe Wales. The Bearcats also took the second position but the Pirates kept things close with an 8-4 win at the number three doubles position. In singles play, the Pirates kept things close, earning wins in both the fourth and fifth positions but Willamette used wins at the numbers two and three spots give Murakami the opportunity to clinch the match for the Bearcats. He did just that, defeating Shelton, 7-6 and 7-6, to end the match with one singles match left to play. Willamette advances to take on top-seed Whitman on Friday afternoon in one of two semifinal matches. Whitworth will play for fifth-place on Friday afternoon when they take on Puget Sound.
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YAKIMA, Wash. - Willamette's Andrew Murakami held off Whitworth's Michael Shelton in a battle of number ones as the Willamette Bearcats defeated the Whitworth Pirates, 5-3, to advance to the semifinal round of the 2009 Northwest Conference Men's Tennis Championship on Friday at the Yakima Tennis Club in Yakima, Wash.