SEWARD, Neb. – Concordia University, Nebraska’s men’s tennis team stared down a 3-1 deficit against Mount Marty on Sunday (March 23), before storming back to claim a 4-3 victory inside Walz Fieldhouse. The Bulldogs dropped the doubles and an early singles point, putting them on the brink of defeat. Unphased, Concordia rattled off three straight singles wins to secure the comeback for its third consecutive team triumph.
Head Coach Lisa Hart’s roster boosts its record to 9-5 overall and 1-0 in conference play.
“Really, really proud of the fight in our team,” Coach Hart said. “Getting down 1-0 after the doubles point, which was an emotional point. We kept fighting and fighting. It came down to our No. 5 and 6. We knew if we could get to five and six with the match still on the line, we would have a really good chance to win. That was our goal going in.”
Grady Works delivered the knockout blow, clinching the win with a 6-3, 6-2 triumph over Luis Lainer in the No. 5 singles match. The Lincoln Southwest product’s steady play flipped the final domino to win the first conference bout. Works, a senior of Lincoln, Neb., claimed his eighth victory (singles) of the season.
Said Works, “It was really good to have my team by me in the match. We have been talking about this one for a long time and we knew it was going to be a close one. Just having all my friends and family here, it meant a lot.”
Santiago Abadia was a huge part of the momentum continuing to roll, crushing Shriraam Anbanatan 6-1, 6-1 at No. 6 singles. The junior’s lopsided win leveled Concordia with the visitors, igniting hope for the home court Dawgs.
Nick Velders scored the second point, topping Kazuma Kato 6-4, 6-2 in the No. 2 slot. Ben Chisholm chipped in early, beating Guilherme Nomura 6-4, 6-2 at No. 4 singles to keep the Bulldogs alive earlier in the rally.
Concordia’s lone doubles win came from Fuentes and Velders, who edged Oleksander Makarov and Pablo Rivest, 6-4.
Mount Marty struck first, winning doubles points at No. 2 (7-5) and No. 3 (6-2), while Suklian won over Hugo Fuentes 6-1, 6-4 at No. 1 singles.
Concordia (9-5, 1-0 GPAC) is set to welcome the defending GPAC champions Morningside (13-1, 1-0 GPAC) on Saturday (March 29). The Bulldogs will host the Mustangs in Seward at 12 p.m. CT.