The No. 12 University of Redlands men's tennis team celebrated its seniors with a solid 7-2 victory over No. 24 Pomona-Pitzer Colleges in Friday's Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) match on Verdieck Courts. The Bulldogs garnered a 2-1 lead amidst a very tight doubles competition but then blew it open by nabbing victories at all but one singles match.
Prior to the match, the Maroon and Gray recognized the careers of seniors Anish Nanda (Cerritos, CA), Connor Hyde (Peterborough, NH), and John Brewer (Portland, OR).
The No. 3 tandem of sophomores Teddy Jones (St. Louis, MO) and Max Licona (Culver City, CA) put the Bulldogs on the board with an 8-4 effort.
However, the Sagehens answered with a hard-fought 9-8(3) showing at the No. 1 slot.
But the Maroon and Gray retook the lead when the No. 2 duo of sophomore Nick Cummins (Rancho Mirage, CA) and Hyde rallied from an early deficit to grab a 9-7 triumph.
In singles, sophomore Patrick Lipscomb (Irvine, CA) fired off an impressive 6-1, 6-2 performance at the No. 1 position to make it 3-1 for the Bulldogs.
Although Pomona-Pitzer cut the deficit with a win at No. 2, Redlands responded by winning all four of the remaining matches. Nanda initiated the rally with a 6-4, 6-1 victory at the No. 6 spot, before Brewer officially secured the Bulldogs' fifth and deciding point by taking down his No. 5 opponent, 6-3, 6-4.
Cummins and sophomore Taylor Hunt (Seattle, WA) also recorded straight-set victories at Nos. 2 and 3, respectively.
Redlands (13-8, 5-2 SCIAC) looks forward to a break from SCIAC competition when it travels to the 113th Ojai Valley Tennis Tournament on April 26-28. For more information, please visit www.ojaitourney.org.
