SCIAC Men's Tennis Weekly Release No. 9
REDLANDS, Calif. - The Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) announced their Men's Tennis Athletes of the Week in the ninth week of voting and University of Redlands junior Stefan Hester (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA) earns recognition for the first time this season and the second time in his career.
Stefan led the University of Redlands to a 1-1 week, which included a pair of 5-4 matches. The Bulldogs were edged 5-4 against No. 13 Caltech and then pulled off an upset 5-4 over No. 24 Pomona-Pitzer, the first win for Redlands against the Sagehens since 2017.
Stefan went 3-1 on the week playing No. 2 doubles and No. 2 singles. He was 1-1 in doubles and was perfect in singles at 2-0. Against the Beavers he and partner Jack Mattox were edged in a breaker 8-7 (8) at No. 2, but he came back strong at No. 2 singles to take out former 1st Team All-SCIAC performer Ishaan Kannan 6-4, 7-6 (8).
The very next day he carried this momentum onto the road where he and Mattox would grab the second point in doubles at No. 2 winning 8-5 giving UR a 2-1 advantage. Hester then followed that with one of his biggest wins of his career taking out another former 1st Team All-SCIAC performer in Kush Patel in the clinching match coming back from a set down to win 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 helping the Bulldogs grab the upset.
Redlands has a big SCIAC match-up with Chapman University this Friday, April 14 inside the Verdieck Tennis Center beginning at 3:00pm.