No. 13 Redlands Men’s Tennis Falls Short against Sixth-Ranked Trinity University

Nick Cummins registered a straight-set win over his No. 2 foe from Trinity (photo credit: Ellis Hazard).
Nick Cummins registered a straight-set win over his No. 2 foe from Trinity (photo credit: Ellis Hazard).

The 13th-ranked University of Redlands men's tennis team faced off against regional-rival and sixth-ranked Trinity University (TX) on Tuesday but came up short in an exciting 2-7 showdown.  After No. 1 doubles went to an incredible tiebreaker, the tight scores remained, with three of the singles matches going to third sets.

Although the Tigers nabbed the first two doubles points, the Bulldogs' top tandem of juniors Nick Cummins (Rancho Mirage, CA) and Teddy Jones (St. Louis, MO) competed in a back-and-forth match that ultimately went to an epic tiebreaker.  With both teams earning match point on more than one occasion, the outcome could have gone either way.  But the Tigers managed to edge the Maroon and Gray duo, leading to a doubles sweep for the visitors. 

In singles, the momentum stayed with Trinity, which rattled off two straight-set victories at Nos. 5 and 6 to seal the overall win. 

Three of the final four singles showdowns went the distance, as junior Patrick Lipscomb (Irvine, CA) knocked off his No. 1 counterpart by scores of 6-3, 6-7 (4), 10-6.  In addition, Cummins put together a successful 7-5, 7-6 (5) performance at No. 2.

Redlands (4-3) looks to rebound on Wednesday when it hosts No. 19 Carnegie Mellon University (PA) on Verdieck Courts at 3 p.m.