While competing on the second consecutive day, the No. 13 University of Redlands men's tennis team stumbled against No. 19 Carnegie Mellon University (PA) on Wednesday by a score of 4-5. After taking an early 2-1 lead in the doubles, the Bulldogs saw their advantage slip away as the Tartans rallied back by winning four of the first five singles matches off the courts.
In doubles, junior Ted Burchett (Gold River, CA) and freshman Jake Ly (Torrance, CA) teamed up for a solid 8-4 victory at No. 3.
Although Carnegie Mellon answered at No. 1, Redlands' juniors Patrick Lipscomb (Irvine, CA) and Gram Leahy (Portland, OR) notched their first win of the season by taking down their No. 2 counterparts, 9-8(2).
Leading 2-1, the Bulldogs focused on winning three or more singles matches to secure the overall triumph. However, CMU evened the score by prevailing in straight sets at the No. 4 slot.
Nonetheless, junior Nick Cummins (Rancho Mirage, CA) stepped up with his fourth consecutive win of the season and registered an impressive 6-3, 6-0 decision at the No. 2 slot.
Unfortunately for the Maroon and Gray, the momentum stopped there, as the Tartans won the next three matches, including a three-setter at No. 5 that served as the deciding point.
Lipscomb also prevailed for the Bulldogs with his 6-7(4), 7-6(4), and 10-6 showing at the top spot.
Redlands (4-4) returns to action on Friday for a non-conference bout with Concordia University – Irvine at 2 p.m. on Verdieck Courts. This match was rescheduled from Feb. 28 after wet conditions kept the teams off the courts.
