NORTH NEWTON, Kan. – Two teams ranked within the top four of their respective conferences squared off in North Newton, Kan., on Thursday (March 11). In its first match of spring break, the Concordia University Men’s Tennis team fell by a 6-1 score at the hands of Bethel College. The loss put the first blemish of the season on the Bulldogs’ record.
Head Coach David DeSimone’s squad (3-1 overall) had previously beaten William Jewell College (Mo.), Sterling College (Kan.) and Bethany College (Kan.) in dual action.
Said DeSimone, “It was not the outcome we had hoped for. There were good things happening on each and every court, but we struggled to put it all together for the course of the entire match. It was good to get our first outdoor match (of the spring) in – that is always a transition. We are fortunate to have an opportunity to get back on the court and work on a few things tomorrow and Saturday.”
The Threshers (3-1) swept through doubles and then won five of six singles matches. Joe Bindl came through with the lone Concordia victory by winning the tiebreaker (6-3, 4-6, 10-3) at No. 6 singles over Joaquin Pluis. Both Luke Zoller at No. 4 and Jack Kitson at No. 5 were edged in the second sets of their matches by 7-5 scores. The Bulldog singles lineup also included Gregor Lainer at No. 1, Eduardo Rojas at No. 2 and Isaac Howes at No. 3.
In doubles play, Rojas teamed with Kitson at No. 1, Jeremy Berryman paired with Lainer at No. 2 and Zoller collaborated with Juan Rabellino at No. 3. The closest doubles competition came at the No. 2 position where Milan Bucek and Jordan Singh outlasted Concordia, 6-4.
Bindl moved to 4-0 this season in singles matches. As a team, the Bulldogs are 13-11 in singles and 7-5 in doubles matches through four dual outings in 2020-21.
Concordia will return to Seward to host Iowa Central Community College on Friday and Tabor College (Kan.) on Saturday. First serve is set for 11 a.m. CT both days. If the weather allows, the matches will be played on the outdoor courts. If not, they will be moved inside to the Fieldhouse.