HOME OF BULLDOG WOMEN'S TENNIS - 1980, 2005, 2008 SCIAC Champions

The University of Redlands women’s tennis team competed in the 108th Annual Ojai Tournament on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Five Bulldogs faced off against top opponents from regional Division II, Division III, and NAIA institutions. Sophomore Rachael Miller (Newport Beach, CA), senior Katie Bell (San Dimas, CA), and sophomore Paige Sumida (Hilo, HI) participated in the singles bracket, while Miller and freshman Sara Yoshinaga (Honolulu, HI) as well as Sumida and sophomore Whitney Waters (Austin, TX) teamed up for doubles action.

In the first round of singles, Bell and Sumida both moved on with straight-set victories, while Miller received a first-round bye into the round of 32. Bell took down her opponent from BIOLA University in dominating fashion, 6-1, 6-0. Sumida experienced a tight first set, winning in a tiebreaker, but established a rhythm in the second to defeat her opponent from Whitman College, 7-6 (5), 6-4. Battling the tournament’s fifth seed from Division II competitor Cal State University San Bernardino, Bell suffered a 6-1, 6-0 loss in the next round. Sumida also went down in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3, to a regional opponent from Chapman. Miller moved onto the round of 16 after an impressive victory over a SCIAC competitor from Cal Lutheran, 6-1, 6-4. In her next match, she suffered a tough 6-4, 6-1 loss to the tournament’s fourth seed from Cal State Los Angeles.

In the doubles bracket, the Bulldogs boasted quarterfinal appearances from both their pairs. Miller and Yoshinaga earned an easy berth into the round of 16 after their opponents from Grand Canyon University retired at 2-1. Sumida and Waters also moved on with relative ease, dropping just three games in a straight-set win over competitors from BIOLA University, 6-1, 6-2. In the round of 16, Miller and Yoshinaga advanced with a hard-fought victory over opponents from Cal State San Bernardino, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5. Sumida and Waters took on regional foes from Chapman University and cruised to a 6-0, 6-4 victory en route to earning a spot in the quarterfinals. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs’ victories ended there as both doubles duos met their match in the next round. Miller and Yoshinaga squared off against fourth-seeded SCIAC rivals from Pomona-Pitzer Colleges, suffering a straight-set loss, 6-4, 6-3. Waters and Sumida also went down in two sets, losing 6-0, 6-0 to the second seed from Point Loma Nazarene University.

The Bulldog women’s tennis team awaits the announcement regarding the NCAA Championships, which will be made Monday afternoon.