The No. 31 University of Redlands women's tennis team left it all on Verdieck Courts during Monday's non-conference bout against No. 8 Tufts University (MA) but came up short in a 4-5 decision. The Bulldogs snagged a 2-1 lead through the doubles and then battled to tie it up in singles. Unfortunately for the home team, the deciding point went in favor of the Jumbos.
The No. 1 tandem of senior Elizabeth Johnson (Portland, OR) and first-year Halle Martinucci (Burlingame, CA) put Redlands on the board with an 8-4 result. Junior Jackie Lacy (Palm Desert, CA) and sophomore Karen Kobayashi (Sappora, Japan) kept things rolling with their 8-6 win at the No. 2 slot.
Although Tufts cut the deficit in half with a positive result at No. 3, the Bulldogs entered the singles with a slight 2-1 lead.
But the Jumbos evened the tally with a win at No. 6 before first-year Mia Fitzgerald (Kauai, HI) answered the call for the Bulldogs by defeating her No. 2 opponent, 6-4, 6-0.
The intense battle continued, with Tufts taking the lead for the first time with victories at Nos. 1 and 3.
Now trailing 3-4, the Maroon and Gray gained a huge come-from-behind win from Kobayashi at No. 4 to knot the score with one match remaining. She overcame a tough start to earn the 0-6, 6-1, 6-4 triumph.
However, Tufts' No. 5 player eked out a three-setter to hand the Bulldogs a tough loss.
Redlands (4-5) faces a quick turnaround with another non-conference tilt on Tuesday, March 19. The Bulldogs take on 12th-ranked Bowdoin College (ME) at 3 p.m. on Verdieck Courts.