SEWARD, Neb. – With second place on the line, the Bulldogs have one match remaining in the regular season against in-state Doane on Thursday (April 15). Concordia University, Nebraska Men’s Tennis will face the Tigers at the Newburg Held Tennis Complex. The winner will claim the first round bye in the GPAC tournament.
This Week
Thursday, April 16 at Doane (6-12, 3-1 GPAC), 5 p.m.
--Location: Newburg Held Tennis Complex (Crete, Neb.)
The Bulldogs are 15-4 (3-1 GPAC) overall this season and had the second-best start in program history with an 8-0 initial run. They have big wins over the University of Saint Mary (4-1), McPherson College (4-3), and Grand View University (7-0). Concordia has outscored its opponents 93-30 in points this season with a 81-26 record in singles and a 37-18 showing in paired matches.
The roster out of Seward dominated the past week with two bagels against Midland (7-0) and Mount Marty (7-0). Leo Lopez, Nick Velders, Daniel Caballeros and Ognjen Gajic all went unbeaten in both doubles and singles going 4-0 this past week. Ben Chisholm won in his singles match against Midland and both doubles sets (3-0), while Hugo Fuentes went 2-2. Santiago Abadia won his doubles match versus the Lancers.
Singles ITA rankings were last released on April 9, 2026, and the Bulldogs found two names in the top-75 players in the nation. Nick Velders moved all the way up to No. 13 and is the No. 1 rated player in the GPAC. Daniel Caballeros jumped up 13 spots to No. 22 in the rating system. Concordia is ranked in the team ratings at No. 20 in the nation. Others rated in the GPAC are No. 16 Marcos Menendez (Morningside), No. 21 Alexis Diaz (Morningside), No. 31 Mathys Arnold (Morningside) and No. 63 Philip Olsson (Midland). The next rating is set to release on April 23.
Velders continues to be dialed in against seemingly every opponent, as the second-year transfer has won all 17 singles matches in consecutive sets. An Apeldoorn, The Netherlands, native, Velders has won 20 in a row going back to April 16, 2025. He has a blistering 36-2 record as a Bulldog. He has won five of his last six doubles matches with the majority paired with Ognjen Gajic.
Caballeros is on a SIX-match winning streak in singles having triumphed in seven of his last eight. The first-year transfer has a 15-3 record and 15-1 against NAIA opponents. The Guatemalan and Leo Lopez are 6-1 having been recently paired. Lopez, the GPAC Player of the Week, has a 14-2 singles record winning the first 11 of his collegiate career. He is 7-2 in doubles.
No. 13 Morningside has a grip on the title with a 3-0 conference record already besting the other top teams. Concordia (3-1) and Doane (3-1) are deadlocked at No. 2 in the GPAC. Midland (2-2), Hastings (1-3) and Mount Marty (0-5) are in the lower half of the conference. Each team will be fighting for better seeding in the final week.
Upcoming Opponents
The Tigers are 6-12 (3-1 GPAC) overall but have won four of their last five matches. Doane defeated Hastings (7-0), Mount Marty (7-0), Nebraska Wesleyan University (6-1) and Midland (4-3). Mats Vervloet is the leader of the Crete side at No. 1 on a six-match winning streak having not lost since March 11.
Up next
Concordia will be in the GPAC tournament set for April 24-25 at the Genesis Health Club in Omaha, Neb. The Bulldogs will find out their first match after the regular season has ended.