The No. 16 University of Redlands men's tennis team opened Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) competition on Saturday and squeezed in a 9-0 victory over the Tigers of Occidental College before the skies unleashed heavy rains and hail.
In an effort to decide the match as efficiently as possible, the teams began with the singles matches.
Seniors Keven Wong (Kaneohe, HI) and Casey Fashouer (Arlington, VA) initiated the scoring with wins at No. 5 and 6, respectively, while only dropping one game apiece.
Sophomore Connor Hyde (Peterborough, NH) continued the Bulldogs' success with a 6-2, 6-1 victory at No. 3, as sophomore Anish Nanda (Cerritos, CA) quickly followed with a 6-1, 6-2 at the No. 2 slot.
Veteran senior Cameron Spearman (Laguna Niguel, CA) locked up the match for the Maroon and Gray, taking down his No. 1 opponent in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2.
Redlands dominated the rest of the afternoon by sweeping all three doubles matches with Wong and Fashouer leading the charge with an 8-0 performance at the No. 3 spot.
Moments after completing the match, rain soaked the courts, preventing the Bulldogs from competing in their afternoon match against the Panthers of Chapman University. This in-region match will be made up at a later date.
Redlands (2-3, 1-0 SCIAC) takes on the Beavers of Caltech on Saturday in a 10 a.m. SCIAC match on Verdieck Courts, followed by a non-conference bout with NAIA power Westmont College at 1 p.m.
