FREMONT, Neb. – The Bulldogs went toe-to-toe with Midland for the second spot in the conference and came up just short (3-4) on Friday morning (April 11). Concordia University, Nebraska Men’s Tennis team leaned on Ben Chisholm, who went unbeaten against his singles and doubles opponents. Head Coach Lisa Hart’s squad is 11-7 overall and 3-2 in the GPAC.
“So proud of our group,” Head Coach Lisa Hart said. “We fought so hard and never gave up. We have a lot to still play for this season.”
Santiago Abadia tied the single season doubles wins record (14) in program history with his victory over the Warriors. The Bogotá, Colombia, native tied a record that has stood since the 1992-93 season, set by Tim Marshall and Glen Gutz. A Colegio Nueva York product, Abadia has 36 doubles triumphs in his career. He and Chisholm at No. 2s, defeated Andrew Hammer and Jaime De Diego with ease (6-1).
With the Bulldogs down 3-2, No. 2 Nick Velders battled it out with University of Nebraska-Omaha transfer Ben Starman splitting the first two sets (6-2, 2-6). Starman and Velders needed extra games to decide the highly contested match, but Midland’s Omaha, Neb., native won out (7-5).
In earlier matches, No. 4 Grady Works dropped Hammer in straight sets (6-3, 6-2). No. 3 Ben Chisholm was the first match to finish in singles, as the Australian bested De Diego (6-0, 6-4) early. The freshman, from Mercedes College, has double digit singles wins (10) in his first year as a Bulldog.
No. 6 Michael Bedrosian retired Daniel Liebig (4-5), collecting the third point for Concordia.
In singles, Hugo Fuentes (No.1) and Abadia (No. 5) also competed in singles. In doubles, No. 1s Fuentes and Velders dropped their match to Joren Stevens and Starman (3-6). No. 3s Works and Manuel Rodriguez fell to Liebig and Martin Cisneros (1-6).
Midland (8-9, 4-1 GPAC) leaned on experienced No. 1 Stevens and No. 2 Starman to defeat the Bulldogs. Stevens, out of Mol, Belgium, has gone unbeaten at No. 1 singles and doubles in conference play. The Warriors will finish out their season against Mount Marty in Fremont and have sealed a No. 2 seed in the GPAC tournament.
Concordia (11-7, 3-2 GPAC) will host Doane (6-10, 1-3 GPAC) for senior day on Wednesday (April 16) of next week. The celebration will begin before the first toss at 4 p.m. CT. The Bulldogs lost to the Tigers (1-6) in Crete, Neb., in 2024.