The No. 14 University of Redlands men's tennis team took care of business in a non-conference showdown on Verdieck Courts against No. 32 Christopher Newport University (VA) on Friday afternoon. After snagging a 2-1 lead through the doubles, the Bulldogs looked to the strong showings of Nos. 3, 4, and 5 singles to put this one in the books by the score of 5-4.
After CNU nabbed the first point, Redlands rallied to win the next two doubles matches, beginning with an 8-6 victory by freshmen Bryant Johnson (Fair Oaks, CA) and Sawyer Patterson (Burbank, CA) at the No. 3 slot. This propelled the momentum in the Bulldogs' favor just enough, allowing the top tandem of sophomore Joey Dulle (St. Louis, MO) and junior Jake Ly (Torrance, CA) to hold on for a 9-8(5) win.
In singles, the Maroon and Gray expanded its lead with junior Parker Wilson's (Carlsbad, CA) impressive blanking of his No. 4 opponent, 6-0, 6-0.
Although CNU answered at No. 1, Redlands gained a straight-set triumph at the No. 3 slot, with freshman Chase Lipscomb (Irvine, CA) prevailing by the scores of 6-4, 6-4.
Leading 4-2, the Bulldogs needed just one more match to secure their sixth win of the 2016 season. Graduate student Taylor Hunt (Seattle, WA) stepped up at the No. 5 position by pushing through to win in an extended match, 6-1, 5-7, 6-3.
Redlands (6-0) returns to action on Verdieck Courts on Saturday, March 5, for a non-conference doubleheader. The Bulldogs open the day at 9:30 a.m. against Wabash College (IN) and then take on No. 15 University of Mary Washington (VA) at 1 p.m.
