While relying on experienced veterans and a talented group of youngsters, the University of Redlands women's tennis team made the most of its abilities during a challenging 2011 season. With Assistant Coach Dave Donn serving as the coaching general for the program, the Bulldogs wrapped up the year with an overall record of 12-8 and garnered a final national ranking of 28th among NCAA Division III schools. Four-time All-SCIAC First Teamer senior Rachael Miller (Newport Beach, CA) led Redlands to its 18th consecutive finish among the conference's top three, posting a 7-3 mark during the recent campaign.
Redlands opened the 2011 season with a resounding 9-0 victory over the visiting Royals of Hope International University in a non-conference match on Verdieck Courts. The Bulldogs dominated their opponents at every spot, refusing to even give up a single game in six singles and three doubles matches. During her collegiate debut, freshman Jessica Ly (Torrance, CA) immediately made her presence known by teaming up with sophomore Julia Galbraith (Tacoma, WA) at No. 2 doubles for an 8-0 victory before recording a 6-0, 6-0 showing at No. 2 singles.
After stumbling to No. 26 UC Santa Cruz, the U of R tore apart the Tigers of Occidental College in the SCIAC opener. With Miller and fellow senior Sara Yoshinaga (Honolulu, HI) setting the tone in singles and doubles, the squad dominated Oxy with a clean 9-0 sweep.
Subsequent to several rain-outs, Redlands battled it out with No. 28 Brandeis University (MA) on February 23. The team recovered from an early 1-3 deficit, rallying for the next five points with two-set wins in all but one singles match en route to an exciting 6-3 victory.
On March 5, Redlands jumped back into SCIAC action with an 8-1 dismantling of the Beavers of Caltech. The No. 2 through No. 6 singles slots combined to give up just one game in 10 sets of competition.
The Bulldogs went .500 over the next six contests, taking on Division III opponents from all across the country, including four ranked teams. UR pulled out in-region wins against No. 25 Trinity University (TX), Linfield College (OR) and Whitman University (WA). During the team's upset over the Trinity Tigers, Yoshinaga secured the 5-4 victory with her gutsy three-set performance at the No. 3 singles position.
On the first day of April, Redlands traveled to the University of La Verne and dominated its opponents at every position in the lineup with straight-set wins. The freshman tandem of Ly and Paige Press (La Jolla, CA) highlighted the event, making quick work of their No. 1 and No. 3 singles opponents, respectively. They dropped only one game apiece in each of their two-set victories.
In a pair of back-to-back tough matches, the Bulldogs fell to No. 7 Pomona-Pitzer Colleges and No. 15 Chapman University before bouncing back against the Regals of Cal Lutheran University. After building a 2-1 lead in doubles, Redlands swept the singles matches en route to a solid 8-1 showing in Thousand Oaks. Playing without Yoshinaga, the duo of Ly and Press took over the No. 1 doubles position. After an uncharacteristically rough start, the pair faced a 0-7 deficit and multiple match points. However, the Bulldogs clawed their way back to win nine straight games for the victory. This inspired unyielding momentum for the Bulldogs, leading to the team's fourth conference win of the season. Among the singles winners, junior Katherine Guimapang (Norwalk, CA) and sophomore Amanda Alvarez (Pomona, CA) recorded solid showings at the No. 5 and No. 6 spots, respectively.
Prior to Redlands' match against the No. 16 Athenas of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges, the team honored its two seniors, Miller and Yoshinaga, for their contributions to the program's success and development. Even though the team suffered a 3-6 loss, Yoshinaga finished her final bout at home with a hard-fought 6-4, 1-6, 10-6 victory at the No. 3 slot.
In the final SCIAC dual match of the season, the Bulldogs took down the Poets of Whittier College by a score of 7-2. With a 2-1 lead after doubles, Redlands quickly rebounded with wins in five of the six singles matches. Miller led the charge with her 6-3, 6-1 showing at the top spot, while Press cruised to a shutout victory at No. 5. Ly notched the deciding point with her 6-2, 6-1 performance at No. 2.
To kick off the SCIAC Tournament, the team recorded a 5-1 decision over Occidental in the first round. Ly, Galbraith and Press collected individual victories after the team nabbed two of the three doubles points.
This propelled Redlands into a semifinal match against Pomona-Pitzer. Unfortunately, pulling out an upset was not in the Bulldogs' future as their only point came at the hands of Ly, who grinded out a 6-3, 5-7, 10-5 victory at the No. 2 spot.
With a 7-2 performance against Cal Lutheran, UR captured third place in the overall standings, boasting a position among the top three for the 18th consecutive season. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 2-1 doubles lead as Ly and Galbraith took down their No. 2 opponents with an 8-1 dismantling and Miller and Yoshinaga tamed their No. 1 counterparts with an 8-4 victory. In singles, momentum stayed on Redlands' side as it rolled to two-set wins in five matches. Ly dropped only one game in her triumph, while Press cruised to a 6-0, 6-2 victory at No. 5. Miller, Yoshinaga and Galbraith also recorded points for the Maroon and Gray.
Outside of the wins and losses, the Bulldogs gained three All-SCIAC honorees with Miller headlining the group by becoming just the second Bulldog women's tennis player to garner First-Team All-SCIAC honors four times in her tenure. Ly also landed on the First Team, while Yoshinaga nabbed the third Second-Team accolade of her career.
The Bulldogs wrapped up the season by competing in the highly-touted 111th Ojai Valley Tournament where they earned various individual results against NAIA and NCAA Division II and III opponents. Yoshinaga represented the Maroon and Gray in the second round of singles, edging a Westmont College opponent in the opening match before falling to a player from Cal State Stanislaus. In doubles, Miller and Yoshinaga teamed up for one last performance together, advancing to the Round of 16 as Redlands' top doubles duo.
While posting double-digit wins for the 12th straight season, the Bulldog women's tennis team put together a solid campaign with an eclectic lineup of varying experience. Despite the loss of Miller and Yoshinaga, as well as the 2010 Assistant Coach of the Year in Donn, the Bulldogs look forward to the continued impact of players like Ly and Press as well as the overall improvement of the squad's talent. With determination and commitment to daily success, Redlands boasts the foundation for a bright future within NCAA Division III women's tennis.