The No. 37 University of Redlands women's tennis team squared off against fifth-ranked Middlebury College (VT) on Friday in a non-conference tilt on Verdieck Courts. Despite three tight doubles matches, the Bulldogs struggled to force the upset and suffered a 1-8 loss.
Redlands battled the Panthers in every position of doubles, with senior Elizabeth Johnson (Portland, OR) and first-year Halle Martinucci (Burlingame, CA) pulling out the 8-6 win at the top slot. However, Middlebury prevailed in the other two matches by the same score to take a 2-1 lead.
In singles, Redlands' best showing came at No. 4, where sophomore Lexi Lehman (Scottsdale, AZ) won seven games in the straight-set defeat. Junior Jackie Lacy (Palm Desert, CA) also competed well at No. 1 but came up short in a 2-6, 4-6 loss.
Redlands (4-8, 1-0 SCIAC) faces a quick turnaround with a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) match on Saturday, March 30, against the No. 20 Caltech Beavers at 10 a.m. in Pasadena.