LINCOLN, Neb. - Concordia University, Nebraska Men’s Tennis faced off against the Ottawa Braves in a thrilling tennis dual that came down to the wire, with Ottawa ultimately prevailing 4-3. Despite a strong effort, particularly in doubles where they secured two wins, the Bulldogs fell just short as Ottawa escaped via singles play to claim victory. The contest was moved to Friday (Feb. 21), resulting in the match being played in Lincoln.
CUNE has a 2-3 record with two close one-point losses that show significant improvement from a season ago.
“What a match,” said Coach Hart. “We fought hard and were just a few points away from beating such a talented Ottawa team. We lost to this team 0-7 last season, but the boys have grown so much over the past year. We were in the fight today against a team receiving votes, but we are right there. I know we will continue to get better and we have two more opportunities to show who we are tomorrow.”
The decisive moment came in No. 4 singles, where Concordia’s Ben Chisholm battled Bernardo Figueiredo in a match that stretched to a dramatic finish. Chisholm, a 17-year old freshman, pushed Figueiredo to the limit in a contest that featured momentum swings and clutch play. After dropping the first set 4-6, Chisholm, an Adelaide, Australia native, rallied to take the second set 7-6(7), winning a tight tiebreaker to force a match tiebreaker.
With the team score hanging in the balance (3-3), the third set became a 10-point tiebreaker showdown. Chisholm fought hard but fell 10-7, handing Ottawa the crucial fourth point to seal the dual.
In other singles, Concordia found mixed results. Nick Velders delivered a standout performance at No. 2, outlasting Ottawa’s Oscar Giorgio 7-6(4), 6-4 with steady play. Velders, hailing from Apeldoorn, Gelderland, The Netherlands, has an unbeaten 5-0 dual record since the transfer joined the Dawgs. No. 6 Santiago Abadia dominated Yuki Usuda 6-3, 6-0 with relentless precision.
In doubles, Concordia struck first with authority. At No. 3, Chisholm teamed with Abadia to cruise past Usuda and Daniel Sanchez Rojas 6-2. Michael Bedrosian and Manuel Rodriguez edged out Figueiredo and Santiago Tartaglia 7-6(4) at No. 2, showcasing gritty teamwork on their way to a 1-0 lead after doubles.
However, losses piled up elsewhere. In other singles matches, Hugo Fuentes fell to Tartaglia 3-6, 4-6 at No. 1, while Manuel Rodriguez fell against Ben Russell, losing 1-6, 3-6 at No. 3. Grady Works put up a fight at No. 5 but couldn’t hold off Sanchez Rojas, dropping a 6-7(6), 2-6 decision.
The Bulldogs (2-3) will look to regroup, drawing on their doubles strength against the NCAA division 2’s Quincy University (Ill.) and division 3’s Central College (Iowa) tomorrow (Feb. 22). Concordia will take on the Hawks at 12 p.m. CT and the Dutch at 4 p.m. CT in Pella, Iowa.