GRAND ISLAND, Neb. – A boost of confidence came on Saturday for Concordia University Men’s Tennis. While in action at the Grand Island Tennis Center in Grand Island, Neb., the Bulldogs won all six singles matches and two of three doubles matches on the way to a 7-0 victory over Bethany College, a member of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference. The 7-0 score was an improvement as compared to last season’s 5-2 win over Bethany.
Counting the matches from the fall, Head Coach Cam Long’s squad is now 1-4 overall. Earlier in the week, Concordia dropped a 4-3 decision at Grand View University (Iowa) that could have easily gone the other way.
“We came out a little flat in doubles and got off to a slow start, but we battled and found a way to squeak out the doubles point,” Long said. “We settled in during singles and took control of the match. It’s good to get our first win under our belts.”
As Long mentioned, the doubles point did not come easy. It came down to a tiebreaker at No. 1 doubles where the Bulldog combo of Eduardo Luzzi and Juan Rabellino emerged victorious, 7-6 (7-3). Concordia pulled off a less dramatic victory at No. 3 doubles as Jeremiah Berryman and Luke Johnson won, 6-2. Bethany managed to triumph at No. 2 doubles, 6-2.
In singles, the Bulldogs kept the Swedes (0-3) off the board by winning close decisions via Jack Kitson at No. 3, Shawn Spring at No. 4 and Joe Bindl at No. 5. The margins were larger in Concordia wins by Isaac Howes at No. 1 (6-1, 6-3), Eduardo Rojas at No. 2 (6-4, 6-0) and Manuel Rodriguez at No. 6 (6-0, 6-0). Bethany also lost to GPAC opponents in Hastings on Feb. 5 and Midland on Feb. 11.
The Bulldogs will be back in action next Saturday (March 5) when they will be in Liberty, Mo., with a chance to avenge a loss from back in the fall. Concordia and host William Jewell College will go head-to-head at 1 p.m. CT. The Cardinals emerged from Seward with a 7-0 victory on Oct. 9.