The No. 15 University of Redlands men's tennis team embarked upon the 2016 spring season with a doubleheader on Verdieck Courts on Saturday. While utilizing a relatively young line-up, the Bulldogs came out on fire, blanking the Wildcats of Linfield College (OR), before upending the NCAA Division II's No. 26 Point Loma Nazarene University in a 6-3 decision.
Against the Wildcats, Redlands secured an early lead with a doubles sweep in resounding fashion. Freshman Bryant Johnson (Fair Oaks, CA) and junior Parker Wilson (Carlsbad, CA) established the Bulldogs' presence with their 8-2 victory at the No. 2 slot. The freshman duo of Chase Lipscomb (Irvine, CA) and Sawyer Patterson (Burbank, CA) continued the lopsided trend with an 8-1 win at No. 3, while sophomore Joey Dulle (St. Louis, MO) and junior Jake Ly (Torrance, CA) completed the sweep with their 8-3 showing at the top spot.
In singles, Redlands kept up the pressure with straight-set triumphs at every position. After Johnson dominated his No. 2 opponent by scores of 6-0, 6-1, Lipscomb put this one in the books with his impressive 6-0, 6-0 result at No. 3.
Dulle, Wison, Ly, and sophomore Cooper Lacetera (Westhampton Beach, NY) also recorded resounding wins at their respective singles slots, leading to the 9-0 season-opening victory.
Later that afternoon, the Maroon and Gray squared off against the Sea Lions of Point Loma. Although the visitors got on the board first, Redlands answered with an 8-3 decision by Lipscomb and Patterson at No. 3 to even the count. Dulle and Ly rallied back from three games down to eventually force a tiebreak at the No. 1 position and successfully edged their foes 9-8 (7-5) in a hard-fought match for the early lead.
In singles, Johnson steamrolled his No. 2 foe by scores of 6-1, 6-1, while Lipscomb impressed with a 6-3, 6-3 showing at No. 3.
Leading 4-1, the Bulldogs looked to the steady play of Ly to seal the deal on their second victory of the day, as he took down his No. 6 opponent, 6-4, 6-2.
In addition, Wilson came out on top in a 2-6, 6-2, 10-4 performance at No. 4.
Redlands (2-0) welcomes No. 28 Brandeis University (MA) to Verdieck Courts on Friday, February 19, at 2 p.m.
