The No. 34 University of Redlands women's tennis team battled it out with No. 23 Linfield College (OR) on Tuesday afternoon in an in-region match on Verdieck Courts.  The Bulldogs clawed all the way back to force a four-all tie before ultimately falling in a three-set heartbreaker for the 4-5 loss.

After Linfield grabbed the first two points in doubles, sophomore Sarah Ikioka (Wailuku, HI) and junior Elizabeth Johnson (Portland, OR) put Redlands on the board with a hard-fought 9-8(4) win at the top slot.

The Bulldogs kept the momentum in the singles matches, as first-year Karen Kobayashi (Sappora, Japan) cruised to a 6-1, 6-1 victory at No. 5.

Although the Wildcats regained the lead with back-to-back wins, Ikioka answered for the Bulldogs with her 6-1, 7-6(3) showing at the No. 1 spot.

Junior Kate Dolan (St. Louis, MO) tied it up at four-all for Redlands with her impressive 7-6(1), 6-4 triumph at No. 6.

The match came down to the duel at No. 2.  Johnson won the opening set, 6-4, but her Wildcat counterpart managed a comeback to hand the Bulldogs a tough loss.

Redlands (7-7) hosts UC Santa Cruz on Friday, March 30, in its final non-conference match of the regular season.  The first serve is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Verdieck Courts.