REDLANDS, Calif. – The University of Redlands Men's Tennis team got off to a slow start Saturday against Occidental College getting swept in doubles. Despite picking up three singles wins was unable to hold off the upset falling 6-3 at the Verdieck Tennis Courts.
The Maroon and Grey have now dropped three in a row and four of their last five moving to 8-8, 2-3 SCIAC and now face an uphill climb to clinch a spot in the upcoming Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Post Season Tournament.
For the third time this season the Bulldogs found themselves in a 3-0 hole to start the match. This time Redlands wasn't able to claw their way back despite picking up three wins in singles.
Donovan Lilov (San Diego, CA) and Max Hoffman (Taipei, Taiwan) teamed up together at No. 3 doubles and was the first match off falling 8-4. Stefan Hester (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA) and Jack Mattox (Mercer Island, WA) put together a strong effort at the top spot, but were broken late handing OXY their second point 8-6. The crucial point came at No. 2 with Thomas Reznik (Belmont, CA) and Andrew Yip (Honolulu, HI) forcing a breaker at 8-7, but couldn't keep the momentum falling 7-4.
With their backs against the wall the Bulldogs put together a tough comeback picking up wins at No. 4 Lilov (6-1, 6-2), No. 2 Mattox (6-2, 7-6 (1)), and No. 5 Reznik (6-4, 6-3). But those would be the only points gathered for UR as Hester would go down at No. 1 6-3, 6-4, Yip would fall 6-1, 6-2 at No. 3 and Hoffman would stay close early but would drop 6-4, 6-2 at No. 6.
Redlands gets a couple of weeks off from conference action and will return to the courts to compete at the Ojai Championships in Ventura, CA from April 22-24.
Coach's Thoughts
"Hard to dig ourselves out of a 3-0 hole for the third time this season. Unfortunately a couple of the matches swung Oxy's way and we got off to a slow start. Looking forward to taking a break from SCIAC competition and going to Ventura to compete in the Ojai Championships."
Coach's Shoutout
"Donovan had a great bounce back in singles after a tough doubles match. He played a complete match at No. 4 singles and picked up some momentum for the team. I was really proud of his efforts today as he continues to put in the work day in and day out."