SEWARD, Neb. – The Bulldogs earned the No. 2 seed and a quarterfinal bye with a 4-1 GPAC record in the regular season. Concordia University, Nebraska Men’s Tennis will face the winner of third-seeded Doane and sixth-seeded Mount Marty on Friday (April 24). The conference playoff will be held in a new location at the Koch Tennis Center in Omaha but will be moved to Genesis Health Club (Westroads) if there is inclement weather.
GPAC Tournament – (full pairings at bottom)
Semifinals: Friday, April 24 vs. No. 3 Doane/No. 6 Mount Marty, 11:45 a.m.
--Location: Hanscomb Indoor Tennis Center (Omaha, Neb.)
Finals: Saturday, April 25 vs. No. 1 Morningside/ No. 4/5 Winner, TBA
--Location: Koch Tennis Center (Omaha, Neb.)
· The winningest team in program history already marks this 2026 squad with the most victories (16) in a season. The 2009 and 2025 teams had 14 wins before the current roster surged ahead. CUNE also has the current season's highest winning percentage (80.0) in the program. Concordia recorded the second-best start in the program (8-0) before falling in a tight one to Bethel College (Kan.), 3-4. Starting to find a rhythm, the Bulldogs haven’t given up a point in their last three matches.
· Earning the No. 3 seed after a three-way tie for second in 2025, the Bulldogs blanked (4-0) Doane in the PAC tournament quarterfinals. Competing in back-to-back matches, Concordia took on a fresh No. 2-seeded Mount Marty and outlasted the Lancers (4-3). No. 1 Hugo Fuentes clinched the winning point as the Dawgs surged into the finals. The No. 1 seed Morningside ended the Seward lineup’s season (0-4). The Mustangs moved on to the national tournament.
· Nick Velders is poised for another GPAC Player of the Year type of year as he ended the regular season undefeated, 18-0, in singles. Every match was in consecutive sets. When the match is on the line, the Netherlands native leaves no doubt. His own record from a season ago is in jeopardy. The second-year transfer won 19 matches in 2025. With two possible matchups in the conference tournament, Velders has a chance to surpass the feat and potentially finish without a blemish in 2026. In the same way, he is one doubles win away from tying the most in one season with a 15-4 record. He has a 37-2 record in his career as a Bulldog with a 94.8 singles winning percentage. He was recently featured in a story about his undefeated regular season here.
· Daniel Caballeros is on a seven-match winning streak at the No. 3 Slot in the roster. The Guatemalan has won a GPAC Player of the Week award on March 31. The first-year transfer has a 16-3 singles record and a 14-4 doubles record. He, along with Leo Lopez, have combined for a five-set unbeaten run in doubles at No. 1.
· The Bulldogs have an 87-26 singles record winning 77.0 percent in individual play. Velders has the most wins with 18. After follows Caballeros (16), Lopez (15), Ben Chisholm (11) and Santiago Abadia (10). After the double figure winners, Fuentes (five), Michael Bedrosian (five), Ognjen Gajic (two) and Joseph Melzer (one).
· In doubles, Concordia has produced a 40-18 record with the most recent pairings being the most successful. No. 1 Caballeros and Lopez are 7-1 and No. 2 Fuentes plus Velders are 2-0. No. 3 Chisholm and Gajic are 3-0 in a recent duo to the lineup. Chisholm and Velders as a pair have the most wins (8-2) this season.
· Singles ITA rankings were last released on April 9, 2026, and the Bulldogs found two names in the top-75 players in the nation. Nick Velders moved all the way up to No. 13 and is the No. 1-rated player in the GPAC. Daniel Caballeros jumped up 13 spots to No. 22 in the rating system. Concordia is ranked in the team ratings at No. 20 in the nation. Others rated in the GPAC are No. 16 Marcos Menendez (Morningside), No. 21 Alexis Diaz (Morningside), No. 31 Mathys Arnold (Morningside) and No. 63 Philip Olsson (Midland). The next rating is set to be released on April 23.
· No. 13 Morningside has a grip on the title with a 5-0 conference going undefeated in the GPAC. Concordia (4-1) and Doane (3-2) duked it out to break the deadlock at No. 2. Midland (2-3), Hastings (1-4) and Mount Marty (0-5) are in the lower half of the conference. Each team made the playoffs with only six teams in the league.
· The men were ranked in the latest NAIA Tennis ARC release on April 14. The Bulldogs are No. 10 in the Midwest region just behind William Woods, Texas A&M-Texarkana, and Bethel College (Kan.). Twenty teams make the national tournament, but the one automatic bid for the GPAC is the conference tournament winner. The newest ARC release will come out on Sunday (April 26).
2026 GPAC Men’s Tennis Tournament
Friday, April 24 – Quarterfinals
(4) Midland vs. (5) Hastings, 8 a.m.
(3) Doane vs. (6) Mount Marty, 8 a.m.
Friday, April 24 – Semifinals
(1) Morningside vs. 4/5 winner, 11:45 a.m.
(2) Concordia vs. 3/6 winner, 11:45 a.m.
Saturday, April 26 – Championship
TBA