The No. 8 University of Redlands men's tennis team squared off against the No. 3 Bowdoin College (ME) Polar Bears in a non-conference tilt on Verdieck Courts. While squeezing in the competition before the rain, the Bulldogs battled their hearts out to force four three-set matches but ultimately fell to the defending national champions by a score of 1-8.
Sophomore Chase Lipscomb (Irvine, CA) and freshman Brad Cummins (Rancho Mirage, CA) impressed from the get-go in their match at No. 2 doubles by earning an early lead. The dynamic duo went on to secure an 8-3 win for Redlands.
However, Bowdoin answered at the two remaining matches with a pair of 8-6 decisions to earn a 2-1 advantage.
Now facing a small deficit, Redlands needed to rally in singles to pull off the upset. After the Polar Bears won at No. 3, the Bulldogs forced three-set battles in four of the five remaining matches to illustrate the incredibly competitive contest. Lipscomb, senior Parker Wilson (Carlsbad, CA), senior Jake Ly (Torrance, CA), and senior Tom Suchodolski (Amherst, MA) each revealed great heart and skill by going the distance in the high-quality matches.
Unfortunately for the Maroon and Gray, none of the results were favorable, leading to the closer-than-the-score-appears, 1-8 defeat.
Redlands (9-3) returns to Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) action on Friday, March 24, when it hosts Whittier College in a 3 p.m. bout on Verdieck Courts.
