In head-to-head action against No. 19 Brandeis University (MA), the No. 26 University of Redlands women's tennis team battled to a 2-7 decision on Friday afternoon on Verdieck Courts.
Senior Elizabeth Johnson (Portland, OR) and first-year Halle Martinucci (Burlingame, CA) teamed up for a dominating 8-2 win at No. 1 doubles to put Redlands on the board. Although the Judges picked up the other two matches, senior Kate Dolan (St. Louis MO) and junior Jackie Lacy (Palm Desert, CA) took five games off their No. 3 opponent.
During singles action, Brandeis stretched its lead to 3-1 with a win No. 1. But the Bulldogs battled back at No. 5, as sophomore Karen Kobayashi (Sappora, Japan) rallied to snag the home team's point. After shouldering a tough, 6-7 defeat in the first set, she answered to even the match with a 7-5 win. She gained momentum with that result and went on to earn a 10-2 victory in the super-breaker for a gritty triumph.
Redlands (0-2) begins its Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) slate on Saturday, February 23, at Occidental College at 10 a.m. The Bulldogs return home for a 2 p.m. matchup against Azusa Pacific University later that day.
