The No. 34 University of Redlands women's tennis team battled it out with No. 16 University of Mary Washington (VA) in Thursday's non-conference match-up on Verdieck Courts. After seizing a 2-1 lead in the doubles, the Bulldogs fought for the upset but fell short in a 4-5 decision.
Although the Eagles jumped on the board with a win at No. 2, the Maroon and Gray answered with an 8-5 victory by junior Kate Dolan (St. Louis, MO) and first-year Lexi Lehman (Scottsdale, AZ) at No. 3. Redlands gained the slight edge through the doubles when sophomore Sarah Ikioka (Wailuku, HI) and junior Elizabeth Johnson (Portland, OR) captured an 8-5 victory at the top slot.
In singles, Ikioka kept things rolling for the Bulldogs by defeating her No. 1 counterpart in a 6-2, 6-3 performance.
However, Mary Washington stormed back to secure the victory with wins at Nos. 2, 6, 5, and 3.
At No. 4, Lehman pulled out a comeback for the Bulldogs' fourth point with a 2-6, 7-6(1), 6-3 result.
Redlands (4-3) continues its busy March schedule with tomorrow's non-conference showdown against No. 27 Christopher Newport University (VA) at 2 p.m. on Verdieck Courts.