The No. 15 University of Redlands men's tennis team finished off the regular season on a high note by defeating the Whittier College Poets in the third-place match of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championship Tournament by a score of 7-2. With the score tied at two apiece, the Bulldogs won four of the next five singles matches in straight sets to secure the quality victory.
The No. 3 duo of junior Parker Wilson (Carlsbad, CA) and graduate student Taylor Hunt (Seattle, WA) capped off an undefeated weekend with a dominating 8-1 win to get things rolling for the Bulldogs. Although Whittier evened the tally with a point at No. 2, Redlands' top tandem of sophomore Joey Dulle (St. Louis, MO) and junior Jake Ly (Torrance, CA) collected an 8-6 win for the team's 2-1 advantage.
The Poets responded again by winning an efficient match at No. 2 singles, before the Bulldogs took care of business in all remaining matches. Freshman Bryant Johnson (Fair Oaks, CA) made quick work of his No. 5 opponent with a 6-1, 6-0 victory, while Wilson put together a 6-2, 6-3 triumph at No. 4. Freshman Chase Lipscomb (Irvine, CA), who went undefeated in singles during the tournament, officially sealed the deal by prevailing at No. 1 in 6-4, 6-2 decision.
Sophomore Cooper Lacetera (Westhampton, NY) and Ly also registered wins at their respective singles slots.
Redlands completes the regular season with an 18-7 overall record and a 7-3 mark in SCIAC. The Bulldogs now await the NCAA's announcement regarding possible postseason qualification as a team on Monday and then as individuals on Wednesday.
