WALLA WALLA, Wash.  In an early-season top-20 match-up, Whitman's 14th-ranked men's tennis team came back from a deficit after the doubles matches to score a 6-3 non-conference victory over visiting and 11th-ranked University of Redlands in the opening match of the 2018 Whitman Invite.

The win evens the Blues' record at 2-2 while Redlands slips to 0-1 in their initial dual match of the season.

The clinching point Friday came from Daniel Foster at No. 5 singles when he finished off a straight set -- 6-2, 6-1 -- win over Andrew Leahy.

The turning point of the match, though, was Whitman's consecutive wins at Nos. 1,2 and 4 to start the singles action.

Zach Hewlin and Robert Carter, ranked third nationally, had captured a win at No. 1 doubles, but Redlands took points at Nos. 2 and 3 to head into singles play with a 2-1 advantage.

First in the books during the Blues' three-match singles sweep was Hewlin at No. 1. He raced to an early lead with a 6-1 win over Chase Lipscomb -- the fifth-ranked Division III singles player in the nation.

Down 3-2 in the second set, Hewlin held serve to pull even, then broke Lipscomb's serve to rally ahead at 4-3.

Lipscomb answered with his own break to square the set at 4-4 only to have Hewlin hold serve for a 5-4 lead. With Hewlin serving and one point away from victory, a Lipscomb forehead from mid-court clipped the net cord and popped up in the air, providing Hewlin with a smorgasbord of possible options. The Whitman All-American ended the match by choosing the deep, right corner for the winner.

Not long after, Carter was working his way to the end of a 3 and 4 win at No. 4 over Andrew Leahy, lifting Whitman to its first lead of the day, at 3-2.

Redlands pulled back even with a three-set win at No. 3, but Ben Kirsh inched the Blues ahead by taking a three-setter at 2-singles.

Kirsh took the first set, 6-3, but the Bulldogs' Cameran Krimbill battled back to take the second by the same score.

The final opened with a service break by Kirsh, then a service hold to put him up 2-0. He eventually rolled to a 6-2 third-set victory to earn Whitman's fourth point of the day, setting up Foster for the close-out.

That left one match out on the court following Foster's win: Chase Friedman at No. 6 against Redlands' Bryant Johnson.

Friedman had owned a 5-4 lead in the opening set, only to have Johnson rally with three consecutive games to steal the set.

Though the team outcome had already been decided, Friedman battled on. He picked up a break during the second set and finished off a 7-5 win, then worked his way through the third set super-tiebreaker, 1-0 (10-7), to add a cherry on to of Whitman's night.

The Invite continues Saturday with a trio of matches between Redlands, No. 12 Trinity (Texas) University, and Lewis & Clark College.

Sunday's final day of the Invite brings on a Whitman vs. Trinity match at 8 a.m., and a Northwest Conference match at 2 p.m. between the Blues and Lewis & Clark.