2009 Summary: Bulldog Men’s Tennis Advances to NCAA Championships for 18th Consecutive Season

The University of Redlands men’s tennis program owns a longstanding tradition of competing against the best opponents in order to remain as a top contender in Division III. The 2009 season was no different as the Bulldogs took on ten teams ranked in the nation’s top 20 while landing as high as No. 8 on the Campbell’s/Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) College Rankings. Redlands wrapped up its impressive season with a 19-9 mark, which included an 8-2 record in Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) competition and a trip to the NCAA Championships for the 18th consecutive year.

Under the direction of Head Coach Geoff Roche, the Bulldogs initiated the season with a 5-0 run, gaining a solid 8-1 win over regional rival Chapman University as well as victories over SCIAC foes Pomona-Pitzer Colleges, Occidental College and the University of La Verne.

Although the team suffered a slight setback with three losses in its next four matches, the men rallied for four straight wins, including a come-from-behind triumph over then-No. 10 University of Mary Washington (VA). Against the Eagles, the Redlands men’s tennis team faced an early deficit by winning only one of the doubles matches and needed four of the six singles matches to pull out the upset. After tying the score at two all, the Maroon and Gray suffered back-to-back losses to face a must-win situation in the remaining three singles matches. Sophomore Cameron Spearman (Laguna Niguel, CA) stepped up at No. 2 by polishing off his opponent by scores of 6-4, 7-5. Battling back in three sets, senior Chris Trippel (Mercer Island, WA) came through in the clutch as well, winning 6-1, 2-6, 6-0 at No. 5. After competing for more than two hours, sophomore Keven Wong (Kaneohe, HI) fought off his opponent’s last-ditch efforts and prevailed by scores of 6-4, 7-6 (4) to give the Bulldogs an exciting 5-4 victory.

This propelled the men through their own version of “March Madness”, which was highlighted by exciting wins against No. 16 Carnegie Mellon University (PA), No. 11 Bowdoin College (ME) and No. 7 Gustavus Adolphus College (MN). Redlands also toppled the No. 5 team in the country, Williams College (MA), by an exciting score of 5-4. Leading 3-0 after the doubles, the Bulldogs needed every opportunity to find a way to capture the victory against the Ephs. Spearman put the team in great position with his 6-4, 6-2 victory at No. 1, giving Redlands a 4-0 lead. However, Williams remained in the hunt with their consecutive wins at the No. 5, No. 2 and No. 4 slots. Needing just one of the final two matches, the men suffered a tough three-set loss at No. 3, before junior Jeff Hammond (Mercer Island, WA) clawed his way through a gutsy performance at No. 6, clinching the match in three sets, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-4.

This was the Bulldogs’ third win in four matches over just five days.

Riding the heels of this success, Redlands finished out the conference season by downing Cal Lutheran University and Whittier College but falling to familiar foe and then-No. 3 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges. With a 6-1 mark, the Bulldogs entered the SCIAC Championship Tournament as the second seed with a likely rematch with the Stags looming in the title match. After defeating ULV and CLU for a second time, the Bulldogs matched up with CMS for a share of the championship but the Stags kept the victory out of reach, forcing Redlands to wait for an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships. For their efforts, Spearman, junior Mike Reading (Mill Creek, WA), and Trippel garnered All-SCIAC honors with Spearman landing on the First Team.

Prior to the postseason announcement, eight members of the men’s tennis team competed in the historic Ojai Valley Tournament, which took place for the 109th time. Reading posted the best performance for the Bulldogs, earning a spot in the Round of 16 singles and teaming up with Spearman to advance to the semifinals in doubles. Reading captured a 6-2, 6-3 victory over an opponent from Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in the opening round. He then came up with a 6-1, 7-5 showing against a player from Whittier College to advance to the Round of 16, where he suffered a 6-4, 6-4 loss to an individual from Washington University (MO).

In doubles, Reading and Spearman entered the Round of 16 with a bye and then defeated familiar foes from Pomona-Pitzer by a score of 8-6. The duo then rallied for an 8-6 win over opponents from CMS to move onto the semifinals. Despite a great effort, the Bulldogs came up short against the top team from UC Santa Cruz by a score of 8-6.

As the No. 10 team in the country, Redlands gained a spot at the NCAA tournament for the 18th consecutive season. After a first-round bye, the Maroon and Gray faced the Stags of CMS for the third time during the 2009 season but came up short against the conference rivals, resulting in a difficult end to an impressive season.

Reading and Spearman continued to compete as the No. 4 doubles team from the West Region at the NCAA Individual Championships. They faced a difficult draw in the first round, squaring off against the fourth-seeded duo from Amherst College (MA) and suffered a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 loss.

The 2009 campaign for Bulldog men’s tennis resonates the history and tradition of high expectations with impressive wins, national rankings, and postseason competition. Although graduating senior Aron Ouye (San Diego, CA) and Trippel will be challenging, Redlands looks forward to the return of 16 dedicated and talented players who strive to continually add to the history books while consistently promoting the foundations of Bulldog men’s tennis.