The No. 26 University of Redlands women's tennis team cruised to an opening Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) win over the Occidental College Tigers by a score of 9-0 on Saturday in Eagle Rock.
With solid results throughout the lineup, the Bulldogs jumped on the board with a sweep of the doubles matches. First-year Danya Wallis (Poulsbo, WA) and senior Kate Dolan (St. Louis, MO) got things started with an 8-3 victory at No. 3, while first-year Mia Fitzgerald (Kauai, HI) and sophomore Karen Kobayashi (Sappora, Japan) quickly followed suit with the same result. Senior Elizabeth Johnson (Portland, OR) and junior Jackie Lacy (Palm Desert, CA) made it 3-0 for the Maroon and Gray with their 8-6 win at the top slot.
Lacy continued to roll with her 6-2, 6-0 effort at No. 2 singles, as Kobayashi officially put this one in the books with her 6-2, 6-1 triumph at No. 4.
In addition, sophomore Lexi Lehman (Scottsdale, AZ) impressed with her 6-0, 6-1 performance at No. 5 before Dolan, Johnson, and Fitzgerald all registered straight-set wins.
Redlands returned home to Verdieck Courts for an afternoon exhibition match against Azusa Pacific University. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs fell short to the NCAA Division II's 12th-ranked team in a 0-9 decision.
The Bulldogs (1-2, 1-0 SCIAC) face Rhodes College (TN) on Wednesday, March 6, in a non-conference tilt on Verdieck Courts. First serve is set for 11 a.m.