The 19th-ranked University of Redlands women's tennis team battled it out with the No. 25 Brandeis University (MA) Judges on Friday afternoon, earning a 5-4 victory on Verdieck Courts. After taking two of three doubles matches, the Bulldogs relied on their talented depth within the lineup to prevail at Nos. 4, 5, and 6 for the important triumph.
Brandeis initiated the match scoring with a win at No. 1 doubles, but the Maroon and Gray responded with an 8-4 showing by junior Lauren Villanueva (El Segundo, CA) and senior Julia Pollak (Holland, PA) at the No. 2 position.
With the team score knotted at one apiece, Redlands pushed ahead when sophomore Emily Murnin (Salt Lake City, UT) and junior Gabriela Vasquez (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA) fired off an 8-6 showing at No. 3.
In singles, the Judges evened the count once again with a win at No. 1, before the Bulldogs cruised to straight-set performances at Nos. 4, 5, and 6. Villanueva got things rolling with her 6-3, 6-1 effort at No. 5, while Pollak dominated her No. 6 opponent by scores of 6-1, 6-0. Finally, Vasquez clinched the fifth and deciding victory by knocking off her No. 4 foe in a 6-2, 6-3 decision.
Redlands (2-0) opens Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) action on Saturday, February 21, when it hosts the Caltech Beavers at 10 a.m. on Verdieck Courts.
