In a busy day on Verdieck Courts, the No. 17 University of Redlands men's tennis team dominated the No. 40 Panthers of Chapman University in a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) showdown, before falling short in a quality battle against No. 14 Williams College (MA) later that afternoon.
Against the Panthers, the Maroon and Gray jumped out to an early 3-0 lead with solid performances at every doubles spot. The senior tandem of Nick Cummins (Rancho Mirage, CA) and Patrick Lipscomb (Irvine, CA) picked up an 8-4 victory to put Redlands on the board. Freshman Joey Dulle (St. Louis, MO) and sophomore Jake Ly (Torrance, CA) joined forces at No. 3 for an 8-3 triumph, while seniors Gram Leahy (Portland, OR) and Ted Burchett (Gold River, CA) tallied the same score at No. 2 to secure the sweep.
In singles, it did not take long for the Bulldogs to grab two additional points, as sophomore Parker Wilson (Carlsbad, CA) dismissed his No. 3 opponent, 6-1, 6-1, and Leahy took care of business at No. 6 with a solid 6-1, 6-2 decision.
The Maroon and Gray completed the overall sweep with wins at every remaining position, as Lipscomb, Cummins, Dulle, and senior Taylor Hunt (Seattle, WA) cruised to straight-set performances.
After a short break in the action, Redlands returned to Verdieck Courts to square off against the Williams Ephs. The Bulldogs faced an early deficit after snagging only one of the doubles points. The No. 2 tandem of Burchett and Leahy stepped up for Redlands by prevailing in an impressive 8-2 effort.
In singles, Lipscomb remained perfect on the day with his 6-3, 6-2 showing at No. 1 to tie up the overall tally at two apiece.
However, Williams rallied to win the next three matches off the court, securing the deciding points for the win.
Nonetheless, Cummins registered a 7-6(3), 6-3 victory at the No. 2 slot.
Redlands (12-6, 3-0) returns to SCIAC competition on Friday, April 3, when it travels to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges for an exciting showdown with the top-ranked Stags at 2 p.m.
