The University of Redlands men's tennis team enjoyed its only competition of the fall season over the weekend, participating in the 2013 USTA/ITA Division III Small College Regional Championships in Claremont.  The Bulldogs showed promise for an exciting spring campaign with three players advancing to the semifinals of the Second-Round Singles Consolation Bracket.  In addition, two of these competitors won the First-Round Doubles Consolation Draw.

Junior Nick Cummins (Rancho Mirage, CA) was one of four Bulldogs to win his first-round singles match among the Main Draw on Friday.  Seeded seventh, he knocked off an opponent from Pomona-Pitzer, 6-0, 6-1, before falling in an extended match to a player from UC Santa Cruz. 

However, Cummins' tournament was far from over, as he cruised to the final of the Second-Round Singles Consolation Bracket.  He recorded another 6-1, 6-0 victory against a foe from Pomona-Pitzer, before taking down a player from Chapman University, 6-1, 6-3.  Finally, he advanced to the final with a 7-6(5), 6-4 effort against an opponent from Caltech.

Ironically, Cummins met teammate, freshman Parker Wilson (Carlsbad, CA), in the final but the duo opted not to play in order to expedite the tournament matches in a more efficient matter.  They plan to battle it out at Redlands later this week.

Earlier in the event, Wilson recorded a 6-1, 6-0 triumph in his first-ever competition as a Bulldog, downing a player from Chapman.  He came up short in a tight three-setter (3-6, 7-6(5), 6-1) during his subsequent match but went on to become a finalist in the Second-Round Consolation Bracket.  He defeated a foe from Cal Lutheran University by scores of 6-2, 6-0, before prevailing over a Claremont-Mudd-Scripps competitor, 7-5, 6-2.  Later, he squared off against teammate, fellow freshman Tom Suchodolski (Amherst, MA), edging him by scores of 6-3, 4-6, 10-6. 

In addition, Wilson and Cummins won the First-Round Doubles Consolation Draw by defeating Suchodolski and freshman Jake Ly (Torrance, CA) in the final.  The pair knocked off opponents from Pomona-Pitzer (8-3), Cal Lutheran (8-6), and CMS (walkover) before topping their teammates by a score of 8-4.

The rookie tandem of Suchodolski and Ly dominated their opponents through the First-Round Doubles Consolation Bracket, recording scores of 8-1 against a CLU pair and 8-3 over a CMS duo after benefitting from an opening bye.

Another highlight of the weekend included the Bulldogs' only doubles victory among the Main Draw, which came by an 8-4 showing from sophomore Collin Black (Davidson, NC) and junior Ted Burchett (Gold River, CA). 

Furthermore, Burchett made his return to the lineup a memorable one by recording three singles victories in the First-Round Consolation Draw.  After taking a year off, he embarked upon his junior season with a 6-4, 6-4 triumph against a Whittier player, followed by a hard-fought 7-6(4), 7-6(3) performance against a foe from Cal Lutheran.  He capped off his strong tournament with a come-from-behind win (2-6, 6-4, 10-9) over a Pomona-Pitzer foe.

Redlands enjoys one more week of non-traditional training before looking forward to the spring campaign, which begins on Jan. 20, 2014.