No. 11 Redlands Men's Tennis Struggles against No. 6 Wash U. in Opener of ITA Indoors

Photo credit: ITA
Photo credit: ITA

The 11th-ranked University of Redlands men's tennis opened the prestigious Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Indoor Championships on Friday morning by taking on a formidable foe in No. 6 Washington University of St. Louis (MO).  The Bulldogs battled the Bears but suffered an uncharacteristic 0-9 loss.

In doubles, the Bears snagged all three matches, with Redlands' junior Chase Lipscomb (Irvine, CA) and first-year Brysl Libao (Redlands, CA) fighting to an 8-6 loss at No. 2.

In singles, Wash U. continued to roll and won four matches in straight sets to put this one in the books.  Providing a bright spot for the Maroon and Gray, Libao forced his No. 5 opponent to a third set but came up short in a 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 decision.  In addition, Krimbill battled to a super-breaker in the third, falling 6-2, 4-6, 10-6.

The Bulldogs (4-2) hit the courts again on Saturday, February 24, at 3:30 p.m. CT for the second round of the ITA National Indoor Championships.  Redlands takes on 13th-ranked Trinity University (TX) for the second time this season, following a 7-2 win over the Tigers in Walla Walla, WA, on February 10.