SEWARD, Neb. – Nine Bulldogs contributed on Friday (April 1) night as the Concordia University Men’s Tennis team moved its win streak to three. In the matchup with NCAA Division III Central College (Iowa), the Bulldogs swept through doubles and singles and won, 7-0. The match began outside on the Bulldog Tennis Courts before rained moved it inside the Walz Fieldhouse.
Head Coach Cam Long’s squad also won by a 7-0 final score at Mount Marty on Thursday. Concordia is two-thirds of the way towards completing a perfect week of action and has moved to 5-6 overall this season.
“We kept the momentum going from Thursday and got off to a good start,” Long said. “I think we played well as a team, played smart and used our strengths to their weaknesses. That’s what got the job done. We’re at three wins in a row now – that’s big. Tomorrow’s match against Northwestern going to be big as well. It will be a battle, but we should be going in high on confidence.”
Before the rain started in the evening, the Bulldogs had already taken control of the match. Long made some slight adjustments in the lineup as compared to Thursday, but the top two doubles pairs remained the same. At No. 1, Jeremiah Berryman and Eduardo Luzzi won, 6-3, while the duo of Jack Kitson and Juan Rabellino triumphed, 6-1, at No. 2. At the No. 3 spot, Joe Bindl teamed up with Eduardo Rojas for a 6-2 victory.
In singles play, the most competitive match occurred at No. 2 with Shawn Springer and Caleb Hamerlinck battling closely in the second set. Spring pulled it out, 6-3, 7-6 (4). Concordia managed to win every set and was especially dominant at No. 5, where Rabellino had his way, 6-0, 6-0. Other Bulldog singles winners were Isaac Howes at No. 1 (6-3, 6-2), Manuel Rodriguez at No. 3 (6-3, 6-0), Bindl at No. 4 (6-1, 6-2) and Berryman at No. 6 (6-1, 6-0).
The Dutch, who compete in the American Rivers Conference, slipped to 5-6 overall as they get set to go up against conference foe Nebraska Wesleyan on Saturday. Two years ago, Concordia earned a 6-3 win at Central.
The Bulldogs will be in action for a third-straight day as they prepare to host Northwestern (7-3, 0-0 GPAC) on Saturday. The men’s match will follow the women’s contest, which will get underway at 11 a.m. CT from the Bulldog Tennis Courts. Last season, Concordia emerged a 6-1 winner over the Red Raiders in Orange City, Iowa.