With young talent, veteran leadership, and impressive grittiness, the University of Redlands men's tennis team pursued the 2016 season with tenacity and skill en route to an 18-7 overall record, a third-place finish in the high-caliber Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC), and yet another national ranking at season's end. With freshman Chase Lipscomb (Irvine, CA) and sophomore Joey Dulle (St. Louis, MO) leading the charge, spectators might have called this a young team. But the Bulldogs' results proved otherwise, as highlighted by hard-fought wins, a pair of All-American nods, and the SCIAC Newcomer of the Year honoree.
The Bulldogs began the spring on an eight-match winning streak that included a 6-3 upset of the NAIA's 26th-ranked team from Point Loma Nazarene University and three 5-4 victories over out-of-region foes. Against PLNU, the Bulldogs edged out the Sea Lions in doubles when Dulle and junior Jake Ly (Torrance, CA) clawed their way to a 9-8(5) win at No. 1 doubles. This propelled the Maroon and Gray into winning the first three singles matches to come off the court, with Ly securing the deciding point with a 6-4, 6-2 showing at the No. 6 slot.
Among the three 5-4 wins, the Bulldogs rallied for a comeback against then-No. 21 Bates College (ME) with an excellent showing in singles. Needing four of the six matches to gain the win, Redlands rolled to victories at Nos. 3, 4, and 6, before graduate student Taylor Hunt (Seattle, WA) stepped up at the No. 5 slot to push past his opponent in a pair of tiebreaks, 7-6(5), 7-6(2).
The Maroon and Gray capped off the impressive start to the season with a 6-3 decision over then-No. 15 University of Mary Washington (VA) that began with a sweeping performance in the doubles. Lipscomb and junior Parker Wilson (Carlsbad, CA) set the tone at No. 2 with an 8-1 win, before freshmen Sawyer Patterson (Burbank, CA) and Bryant Johnson (Fair Oaks, CA) followed suit with their 8-4 showing at the No. 3 slot. Dulle and Ly completed the sweep by defeating the top tandem by a score of 8-3.
After suffering their first loss of the season, the Bulldogs rebounded with another exciting 5-4 win, with this one coming down to the final match against the University of Texas-Tyler. After earning a 2-1 lead through the doubles, Redlands looked to Dulle and Lipscomb to take care of business at the top of the singles line-up. But the Patriots refused to go away and evened the count with a pair of wins. Tied at four apiece, the Bulldogs gained the clinching point from Ly, who stepped up at No. 6 with a 6-1, 6-1 showing.
Although they suffered back-to-back losses, the Bulldogs completed the busy month of March on a 4-1 showing, which was highlighted by a pair of conference triumphs. Redlands opened this stretch of success with a 9-0 blanking of Occidental College that included a 24-5 advantage in scoring during the doubles matches. Lipscomb and Wilson led the charge with an 8-0 result over their No. 2 opponents.
Against Whittier College, the Bulldogs dominated the singles matches with five straight-set wins, including the first four off the court. Ly dismissed his No. 4 opponent in a 6-0, 6-2 performance, while sophomore Cooper Lacetera (Westhampton Beach, NY) cruised to a 6-2, 6-1 victory at the No. 5 slot. Hunt provided the deciding point for the Maroon and Gray with his 6-0, 6-3 win at the No. 6 position, as Wilson kept the momentum with the Bulldogs by recording a 6-3, 6-2 victory at the No. 3 slot.
Redlands put together a 3-2 showing through the final month of conference dual-matches, earning 9-0 wins over Cal Lutheran University and Chapman University, and a 7-2 showing over Caltech.
During this stretch of matches, the Bulldogs also honored four-year seniors Collin Black (Davidson, NC) and Nick Pizzuti (Menlo Park, CA) in their final home match on Verdieck Courts.
With a 5-2 SCIAC record, the Bulldogs entered the SCIAC Championship Tournament as the No. 3 seed with a first-round match against Chapman. The Bulldogs made quick work of the Panthers with a 5-0 showing to move onto the semifinal match against then-No. 10 Pomona-Pitzer Colleges.
With hopes of avenging their earlier loss to the Sagehens, Redlands came out on fire in doubles to grab an early 2-1 lead. Amidst a dead-even competition, the No. 3 tandem of Hunt and Wilson came up with a critical break to eventually nab the 8-6 victory. Although the Sagehens responded at the No. 2 slot, the Bulldogs answered back with an impressive 8-6 showing by the top duo of Ly and Dulle. After earning a big break, Dulle held serve at love to secure the team's 2-1 advantage. In singles, Lipscomb prevailed in the rematch against his opponent by earning a hard-fought 6-4, 7-6(2) triumph at the top slot to even the overall tally at three apiece. The remaining three matches went the distance in three sets, providing plenty of drama and excitement for the spectators. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, Pomona-Pitzer prevailed in the next two off the court to secure the victory.
With earlier-season success on its side, the Maroon and Gray repeated the 7-2 showing over the Whittier Poets to prevail in the third-place match of the SCIAC Championship Tournament. With the score tied at two apiece, the Bulldogs won four of the next five singles matches in straight sets to secure the quality victory. Johnson cruised by his No. 5 opponent with a 6-1, 6-0 victory, while Wilson put together a 6-2, 6-3 triumph at No. 4. Lipscomb, who went undefeated in singles during the tournament, officially sealed the deal by prevailing at No. 1 in a 6-4, 6-2 decision.
Upon conclusion of the SCIAC season, Redlands received three All-SCIAC awards, as determined by the head coaches of the member schools. With a 21-3 overall record and a 7-2 singles mark against conference foes, Lipscomb was named the SCIAC Newcomer of the Year and landed on the First Team. In addition, Dulle joined Lipscomb on the First Team, while Ly collected Second-Team honors as inaugural honorees.
Despite their impressive record and national ranking among the best in the country, the Bulldogs missed out on at-large berth to the NCAA Division III Championships. However, Lipscomb, Dulle, and Ly all qualified for the NCAA Individual Championships. Lipscomb made his debut in singles as a freshman, while Dulle and Ly rode their 15-6 record and undefeated showing in SCIAC to their first-ever NCAA appearance.
But a tough opening day shortened the national experience for all three Bulldogs.
Nonetheless, Redlands' final national rankings led to postseason honors for Dulle and Ly. As the No. 8 doubles duo in the country, the national qualifiers met one of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's criterial to garner All-America honors for the first time in their career. Furthermore, Lipscomb finished his stellar inaugural campaign as the No. 25 singles player in the nation. As a team, the Bulldogs hovered right around No. 15 in the country throughout the season and ended the year at No. 18.
With the bulk of the roster returning next season, the Redlands men's tennis team looks forward to building upon this year's success and experience as it adds to its storied and long-time traditions. Under the direction of Head Coach Geoff Roche, the Bulldogs strive to return to the national scene while embracing the principles of Bulldog tennis with determination, commitment, and excellence.