SEWARD, Neb. – With the regular season coming to a close, the fifth-seeded Bulldogs are preparing to take on the fourth-seeded Doane in the first round of the 2024 GPAC Men’s Tennis Championship, which is slated to get underway on Friday from First Serve Tennis Center in South Sioux City, Neb. The tournament boasts the top six teams from the final regular season standings. Head Coach Lisa Hart’s squad finished the regular season last week with a loss to Midland (2-5) and a win over Hastings (6-1). The Bulldogs enter the postseason at 8-12 overall (2-4 GPAC).
GPAC Tournament – First Round (full pairings at bottom)
Friday, April 26 vs. Doane (9-9, 3-3 GPAC), 9 a.m.
--Location: First Serve Tennis Center (South Sioux City, Neb.)
By the numbers
· With a youthful roster, first year Head Coach Lisa Hart has made strides in the season after having only four returners from the previous season: senior Luke Johnson, Santi Abadia, Hugo Fuentes and Manuel Rodriguez. The 2023-24 team’s eight overall wins and 2-4 in the conference, the Bulldogs improved as the season went along. With one senior on the roster, the lineup has regularly featured Abadia, Michael Bedrosian, Fuentes, Mitch Krumm, Rodriguez and Grady Works.
· In last week’s action, Hugo Fuentes was the only Bulldog to go undefeated (2-0) in the week. The No. 1 Spaniard defeated Ben Starman (Midland) in three sets and Nick Smeltzer (Hastings) in two. No. 2 Rodriguez was able to best Daniel Liebig (6-2, 6-2) in the loss to the Warriors. Fuentes and Abadia clinched the doubles point versus the Broncos. No. 4 Bedrosian was able to grab the conference win with relative ease (6-2, 6-0) over Agustin Lopez. Santi Abadia at No. 3, poured on unneeded points with a convincing 6-1, 6-0 clobbering over Ethan Mins.
· The Bulldogs have totaled 38 singles wins and 25 in doubles. Michael Bedrosian leads the team in singles with nine, as Abadia (eight), Fuentes (six) and Manuel Rodriguez (six) follow. Fuentes has won three in a row at No. 1. Abadia and Bedrosian have captured five doubles wins to pace the team. Abadia and Rodriguez have collected four, along with Mitch Krumm and Grady Works. Abadia and Rodriguez are on three match win streaks.
· Concordia will be looking to go further than last year’s exit from the GPAC tournament. The Bulldogs were defeated in the semifinals by Midland, 0-4. In the history of the GPAC tournament (first held in 2001), the program has reached the conference final one time in 2021. In the 22 all-time GPAC tournaments, Concordia has reached at least the semifinal round 11 times.
· During the regular season, the Bulldogs captured GPAC wins over Northwestern, 4-3, and Hastings, 6-1. Morningside emerged as the GPAC regular season champion with a perfect 7-0 league mark. Below are the national rankings for each GPAC squad, according to Massey Ratings:
o 41 – Morningside
o 46 – Midland
o 53 – Doane
o 64 – Northwestern
o 66 – Mount Marty
o 71 – Concordia
o 78 – Hastings
2024 GPAC Men’s Tennis Tournament
Thursday play will be moved indoors to South Sioux City, Nebraska, at the First Serve Tennis Center because of the projected forecast. Saturday's location is to be determined.
Friday, April 26 – Quarterfinals
(4) Doane vs. (5) Concordia, 9 a.m.
(3) Midland vs. (6) Northwestern, 11 a.m.
Friday, April 26 – Semifinals
(1) Morningside vs. 4/5 winner, 1 p.m.
(2) Mount Marty vs. 3/6 winner, 3 p.m.
Saturday, April 27 – Championship
1:30 p.m.