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Images of Bellevue Men and Women with championship banners
Posted: May 11, 2019

Bellevue Men and Women win third consecutive team tennis championships

Bellevue women win the school's sixth consecutive team title.

Brackets: Men | Women | Team Scores | Photos (by Rick Harrison)

SPOKANE -- For the third consecutive year the Bellevue College Bulldogs men and women swept the NWAC tennis team championships today at Spokane Falls Community College. The women have now won six in a row.

The Bulldog men captured all nine individual champions in singles and doubles play with sophomore Oscar Cruz winning the men's #1 singles.

Cruz had a very tight battle with Spokane sophomore Michael Manion in the men's singles #1 final match of the day. Manion took a commanding lead in a 6-2 first set then lost the second 7-5. The third set saw a 7-6 score in favor of Cruz with Cruz winning the tie-breaker 7-5.

Earlier in the day, Cruz partnered with freshman teammate Stefano Wirawan to take the men's #1 doubles 8-4 over Treasure Valley sophomore Scottie Ziegner and freshman Matt Bake 8-4 in pro set play.

Bellevue and Highline women had a tight race entering the final two matches of the day. The score was 105 Bellevue, 103 Highline.

Bellevue then took a pair of championships, highlighted by freshman Sofia Panchuk's singles #1 win over Spokane sophomore Hannah Plank 6-0, 6-1. Panchuk was never challenged as she only lost 3 sets in the two matches she played. Bellevue finished with 135 points to Highline's 103.

Earlier in the day, Panchuk teamed with freshman Chen-Yu Tang to defeat Highline sophomore Miriam Cabrera and freshman Alexis Maison 9-7 in pro set action.

Bellevue captured three singles titles and three doubles championships while Highline took the other three singles titles.

The team titles are Bellevue Men's ninth (fourth under Jason Chapman) and women's 13th (all under Chapman's direction).

First year Spokane head coach John Gant was named the Men's Tennis Coach of the Year and Treasure Valley veteran Mark Heleker was named the Women's Coach of the Year.

Bellevue Men with championship trophy
Bellevue Men's Team Champions

image of Bellevue's Oscar Cruz and Sofia Panchuk
Bellevue's Oscar Cruz and Sofia Panchuk won the singles #1 titles

images of Bellevue's Stefano Wirawan and Oscar Cruz
Bellevue's Stefano Wirawan and Oscar Cruz won the men's #1 doubles.

image of Bellevue's Sofia Panchuk and Chen-Yu Tang 
Bellevue's Sofia Panchuk and Chen-Yu Tang won the women's #1 doubles title

photo of Spokane's John Gant and Treasure Valley's Mark Heleker
Spokane's John Gant and Treasure Valley's Mark Heleker were named Men's (Gant) and Women's (Heleker) Coaches of the Year.