REDLANDS, Calif. (Feb. 15, 2020) – Sophomore Anna Tifrea (Fullerton, Calif. / Troy) and rookie Nina Solovyeva (Houston, Texas / Memorial) won in their first singles and collegiate debuts, respectively, despite No. 21 Caltech women's tennis suffering a tough road defeat at No. 34 University of Redlands on Saturday morning.

The Bulldogs jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead with victories at first and third doubles, but sophomores Michelle Hyun (Cerritos, Calif. / Gretchen Whitney) and Jennifer Yu (Queens, N.Y. / Stuyvesant) outlasted their foes at court two, 8-6, to keep the match within reach. Tifrea and Solovyeva then narrowly won first sets at courts one and six, with the latter eeking out an 8-6 tiebreaker, but the Bulldogs took the first set on the middle four courts and soon clinched with victories on each. Still, Tifrea kept the motivation to claim her first-ever win at the top singles court with an overpowering 7-1 tiebreaker win, while Solovyeva battled back from a second-set defeat to dominate a superbreaker, 10-2 for her first collegiate win.

Head Coach Mandy Gamble and the Beavers will look to get into the win column next Sunday, Mar. 23 with a big opportunity against No. 22 Southwestern (Texas) University at 10 a.m.

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