The No. 22 University of Redlands women's tennis team squared off against the tied-for-17th-ranked Jumbos of Tufts University (MA) on Saturday to conclude its 13-match home stand with an exciting 5-4 decision.  After sweeping the doubles for the fourth time this season, Redlands looked to Nos. 1 and 6 singles to secure the upset-win over the Jumbos.

Senior Julia Pollak (Holland, PA) and junior Lauren Villanueva (El Segundo, CA) initiated the scoring with their 8-3 victory at the No. 2 slot in doubles.  Junior Gabriela Vasquez (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA) and senior Maddie Morton (Henderson, NV) put together an 8-5 triumph at No. 3, while the top tandem of senior Ceara Sumida (Hilo, HI) and junior Natalie Etchegaray (Placentia, CA) wrapped up the sweep with an 8-5 performance.

In singles, Tufts came roaring back by prevailing at Nos. 3 and 4, but Pollak put an end to the Jumbos' rally with her 6-3, 6-4 win at No. 6. 

Leading by a score of 4-2, the Bulldogs needed to win just one of the remaining three matches to grab the overall victory.

Although Tufts went on to knot the score with wins at Nos. 2 and 5, Redlands' Etchegaray stepped up in a big way to secure the team's upset by winning, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, at No. 1.

Redlands (8-5, 1-1 SCIAC) returns to Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) competition on Friday, March 27, when it travels to Glendale to face the Occidental College Tigers at 2 p.m.  The match will be played at the Scholl Canyon Golf and Tennis Club.