The Pioneer men’s and women’s tennis teams both missed going to the six-team Northwest Conference post-season tournament in Yakima this season. The women were tied with the Willamette Bearcats for the fifth and final slot in the tournament when the two teams face off April 7 in Salem. The Pioneers had edged the Bearcats in their first meeting, 5-4, but in the deciding match of the season, the Bearcats won 8-1 to earn a trip to the tournament, leaving the Pioneers out of the post-season for the second-straight year.

The women were led by rookie Lisa Harunaga (freshman, Kailua, Hawaii). Harunaga was a dominant #1 singles player, earning First Team All-Northwest Conference honors. She was also named the Lewis & Clark Pioneer Female Rookie of the Year. Harunaga had an 11-8 singles mark, playing against the toughest opponents, and a 9-9 doubles mark on the premier court. Liz Nguyen (senior, Fountain Valley, Calif.) was one of just two returners from the 2006 squad. Nguyen played all four years for the Pioneer tennis team. She played #2 singles and #1 doubles with Harunaga this season, rounding out her career with her most-successful campaign, earning seven singles victories this season. Newcomer Maggie Peach (freshman, Bellinghma, Wash.) also showed promise, with seven wins at #4 singles and a 10-9 overall singles record.

On the men’s side, there was a change in match scoring with the men changing over to the method of scoring adopted by the women: each doubles match counts for a point as opposed to all three collectively earning one point, thusly making nine points possible in a match instead of the previous year’s seven points. The men’s biggest victory of the season came on February 23 when they battled the Whitworth Pirates in the Tennis Dome to earn a 5-4 victory. The team finished seventh in the Conference with a 3-13 match record.

It was another rookie who led the men. George Allen (freshman, Madison, Wisc.) was second team All-Northwest Conference. Allen played #1 singles for most of the season, though battles with injuries kept him sidelined for a few matches. David Lindsay (senior, St. Paul, Minn.) was back on the court for the Pioneers after studying abroad in 2006. Lindsay earned five victories at #2 singles. The Pioneers’ top-rookie last season, Luke Wheeler (sophomore, Durango, Colo.) had another solid season, earning seven singles victories, primarily playing #3 singles for the team.