The No. 30 University of Redlands women's tennis team took on 23rd-ranked Christopher Newport University (VA) on Friday in a non-conference showdown on Verdieck Courts. Despite a valiant effort, the Bulldogs fell in a 4-5 decision to the Captains.
Christopher Newport came out swinging and snagged all three doubles points for a 3-0 lead. Redlands' best showing came at the top slot, as senior Elizabeth Johnson (Portland, OR) and first-year Halle Martinucci (Burlingame, CA) battled to a tiebreaker.
In singles, the Bulldogs gained a point off of Martinucci's impressive 6-0, 6-1 win at No. 5.
However, the Captains took care of business at Nos. 1 and 2 to secure the match victory.
Nonetheless, Redlands showed great heart and determination by prevailing in all three of the remaining singles matches. Sophomore Lexi Lehman (Scottsdale, AZ) came away with a 6-2, 7-5 win at No. 4, as sophomore Karen Kobayashi (Sappora, Japan) and senior Kate Dolan (St. Louis, MO) each captured three-set victories. Kobayashi rallied back to win it at No. 3 by scores of 3-6, 6-1, 7-5, while Dolan put together a 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 result at No. 6.
Redlands (2-4) squares off against the University of Rochester (NY) on Tuesday, March 12, at 3 p.m. on Verdieck Courts.