The No. 34 University of Redlands women's tennis team took on seventh-ranked Bowdoin College (ME) on Tuesday afternoon in non-conference action on Verdieck Courts. The Bulldogs left it all on the court but missed out on the upset in a 2-7 decision.
In doubles, the Polar Bears took the early lead with wins at Nos. 2 and 3, but the Bulldogs bounced back with an important result at the top slot. Sophomore Sarah Ikioka (Wailuku, HI) and junior Elizabeth Johnson (Portland, OR) topped their counterparts in an exciting 8-5 performance.
However, Bowdoin regained the momentum with a straight-set win at No. 6 singles for the 3-1 lead.
Nonetheless, the Bulldogs refused to go away, as first-year Lexi Lehman (Scottsdale, AZ) muscled out a 6-3, 6-2 triumph at the No. 3 spot.
Trailing 2-3, the Maroon and Gray needed three of the four remaining matches to pull out the upset. Unfortunately, it was not in the cards, as the Polar Bears executed well at every position. Johnson pushed her No. 2 counterpart to a super-breaker in the third set but ultimately lost, 6-4, 2-6, 11-9.
Redlands (6-6) welcomes No. 33 Lewis & Clark College (OR) to Verdieck Courts on Saturday, March 24, at 11 a.m.
