Head Coach Geoff Roche Notches 300th Men's Tennis Win with 8-1 Decision over No. 21 Mary Washington

Head Coach Geoff Roche Notches 300th Men's Tennis Win with 8-1 Decision over No. 21 Mary Washington

The No. 18 University of Redlands men's tennis team squared off against the No. 21 University of Mary Washington (VA) on Verdieck Courts in a non-conference showdown on Saturday.  With an impressive, total-team effort, the Bulldogs captured a quality 8-1 win over the Eagles to notch Head Coach Geoff Roche's 300th win in men's tennis, with all of them coming at the helm of the Maroon and Gray.

Redlands battled through high-quality competition in doubles and ultimately eked out two wins with positive results at Nos. 1 and 2.  Junior Joey Dulle (St. Louis, MO) and senior Jake Ly (Torrance, CA) teamed up for an impress late push to secure the 9-8(1) at the top slot, while sophomore Chase Lipscomb (Irvine, CA) and freshman Brad Cummins (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) prevailed in a 9-8(5) showing at No. 2.

Although Mary Washington recorded a 9-7 win at the No. 3 slot, the Bulldogs held a slight 2-1 advantage heading into the singles.

The Maroon and Gray immediately set the tone by winning first sets in all six matches.  Freshman Avery Davis (Jensen Beach, FL) came off the court first by defeating his No. 5 opponent in a 7-5, 6-1 decision, as sophomore Bryant Johnson (Fair Oaks, CA) quickly followed with a 6-3, 6-4 effort at No. 6.

Leading 4-1, Redlands earned the deciding point at No. 2, where senior Parker Wilson (Carlsbad, CA) pushed past his opponent for a straight-set win by scores of 6-3, 7-5. 

With Roche's milestone victory already in hand, the Bulldogs looked to Lipscomb, Dulle, and senior Tom Suchodolski (Amherst, MA) to secure the singles sweep with wins at Nos. 1, 3, and 4, respectively.

Roche began his head-coaching stint with the men in 2000 and has led the team to five conference championships and 12 NCAA appearances.  Overall, he owns a men's tennis record of 300-153 for a .662 winning percentage.

The Bulldogs (7-1) face No. 11 Wesleyan University (CT) on Friday, March 17, at 2 p.m. on Verdieck Courts.