The 12th-ranked University of Redlands men's tennis team battled it out with No. 1 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges in Saturday's Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) showdown but came up short of the upset in a 2-7 tally against the Stags.
After CMS jumped out to an early lead in doubles by winning at No. 3, the Bulldogs' top tandem of sophomores Gram Leahy (Portland, OR) and Patrick Lipscomb (Irvine, CA) pushed the country's third-ranked duo to a competitive match but fell by a score of 8-5.
Redlands gained new life when the No. 2 team of sophomore Nick Cummins (Rancho Mirage, CA) and senior Connor Hyde (Peterborough, NH) prevailed in a tight 9-7 performance.
Down by an overall score of 1-2, the Maroon and Gray faced an uphill battle that required victories in four of the six singles matches.
However, CMS had other plans, as it captured triumphs in the first five matches off the court.
Sophomore Taylor Hunt (Seattle, WA) earned the only win for the Bulldogs, downing his No. 4 opponent by scores of 6-3, 7-6(4).
Redlands (11-8, 3-2 SCIAC) looks forward to wrapping up its dual-match schedule by hosting the final two SCIAC opponents, beginning with the Occidental College Tigers on Saturday, April 13, at 10 a.m.
