No. 21 Redlands Men’s Tennis Cruises past Caltech on Busy Saturday

Photo credit: John Ly
Photo credit: John Ly

The No. 21 University of Redlands men's tennis team opened the 2015 season with a trio of matches on Saturday, earning a solid 8-1 victory over the Caltech Beavers in the campaign's first Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) showdown.  While gaining high-quality experiences, the Bulldogs dropped a 2-7 decision to Concordia University – Irvine, before falling by a score of 1-8 to Vanguard University.

Against the Beavers, the Maroon and Gray quickly garnered a 3-0 lead by sweeping the doubles.  The top duo of seniors Patrick Lipscomb (Irvine, CA) and Nick Cummins (Rancho Mirage, CA) took care of business with an 8-2 victory, while sophomore Tom Suchodolski (Amherst, MA) and senior Max Licona (Los Angeles, CA) teamed up at No. 3 for the same result.  Seniors Ted Burchett (Gold River, CA) and Gram Leahy (Portland, OR) wrapped up the doubles sweep with their 8-4 effort at the No. 2 spot.

In singles, it did not take long for the Bulldogs to secure the triumph, as Leahy and Lipscomb prevailed in their respective matches while giving up only three games combined in their four sets.  Leahy cruised to a 6-0, 6-1 showing at No. 5, before Lipscomb tallied a 6-2, 6-0 victory at the top slot.

Senior Taylor Hunt (Seattle, WA) made his return to the competitive lineup a good one by notching a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 6, while Cummins and Suchodolski also recorded straight-set triumphs.

Concurrently, additional members of the team took on the NAIA's 11th-ranked squad from Concordia.  Redlands gained an 8-5 victory from the No. 2 tandem of sophomore Parker Wilson (Carlsbad, CA) and senior Teddy Jones (St. Louis, MO) in doubles.   Freshman Joey Dulle (St. Louis, MO) provided the only singles win for the Maroon and Gray, as he took down his No. 3 foe by scores of 6-4, 4-6, 14-12.

Late in the afternoon, the team was reunited in Costa Mesa for a challenging match against the No. 3 Vanguard Lions.  The Bulldogs' sole point came at the No. 3 doubles slot, as Dulle and sophomore Jake Ly (Torrance, CA) put together an 8-6 showing.  In singles, freshman Cooper Lacetera (Westhampton Beach, NY) extended his match to three sets at No. 5 but came up short in the 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 decision.

Redlands (1-2, 1-0 SCIAC) looks forward to traveling north to Walla Walla, WA, on Feb. 14-15 to face the 18th-ranked University of Texas – Tyler, No. 23 UC Santa Cruz, and host and No. 13 Whitman College in a high-caliber weekend.