REDLANDS, Calif. -- Bates women's tennis opened its spring campaign Wednesday night on the West Coast with a tough test against No. 29 University of Redlands, as the Bulldogs earned the 7–0 home win at the Coach Jim Verdieck Tennis Center.
Redlands (3-0) took an early lead by sweeping the three doubles matches. At No. 1,
Iris Westmoreland and
Emelyn Harris dropped a 6–3 decision to junior tandem Maegan Deng (Torrance, Calif.) and Lindsey Whelan (Mercer Island, Wash.), while the Bulldogs also earned 6-2 victories at No. 2 and No. 3 to claim the doubles point.
In singles play, Redlands carried the momentum through the top half of the lineup. Deng earned a straight-set win (6-2, 6-2) at No. 1 over Westmoreland and Whelan followed with a victory (6-2, 6-0) vs. Harris at No. 2. Sophomore Helaina Reynoso (El Paso, Texas) added a point at No. 3 for the hosts with a 6-2, 6-1 defeat of
Isabella Saul.
Bates' closest match of the night came at No. 4 singles where
Elise Hepburn pushed junior Vrishitha Kumar (Mumbai, India) to three sets. After losing the opening set 7–5, Kumar responded with a dominant 6–1 second set before edging Hepburn in a third-set super tiebreak.
Ava Steinberger battled first-year Hadley Allaria (Kirkwood, Mo.) in a tight No. 5 match, falling 7–6, 7–5.
Hannah Farber competed at No. 6, dropping a 7-5, 6-2 decision to senior Eve Laurent (Portland, Ore.).
The Bobcats (0-1) return to action Thursday with a visit to No. 33 Caltech in Pasadena, Calif. Start time is 7:00 p.m. (4:00 p.m. PST).
