SEWARD, Neb. – A chance to finish out a perfect month of March awaits the Concordia University Men’s Tennis team on Tuesday. The Bulldogs will open this week with a trip to Baldwin City, Kan., to play Baker University in a rescheduled match. Then on Saturday, Concordia will welcome Morningside to Seward for a resumption of conference play. Head Coach Cam Long’s squad dominated Hastings, 7-0, this past week in the GPAC opener for both sides. The Bulldogs enter this week at 7-5 overall (1-0 GPAC).
This Week
Tuesday, March 28 at Baker (0-4), 1 p.m.
--Location: Sports Pavilion (Lawrence, Kan.)
Saturday, April 1 vs. Morningside (10-5, 0-0 GPAC), 11 a.m.
--Location: Bulldog Tennis Courts (Seward, Neb.)
By the numbers
· The Bulldogs were pegged third in the GPAC preseason rankings and have remained in that position in the polls that have been released by the NAIA throughout the spring. The favorites entering conference play were Midland and Doane. As of the beginning of the week, only two conference matches have been played. Concordia defeated Hastings and Doane defeated Mount Marty. In terms of overall wins, the Bulldogs rank third among GPAC teams, following Morningside (9-4) and Midland (8-2).
· In last week’s action, Concordia earned a 5-4 win over Central College (Iowa), in addition to the rout of Hastings. In the victory over the Broncos, the Bulldogs swept through doubles and singles. There were five Concordia players who earned wins in doubles and singles: Hugo Fuentes, Santiago Abadia, Eduardo Rojas, Manuel Rodriguez and Juan Rabellino. At No. 6 singles, Luke Johnson responded after dropping the first set and triumphed in a tiebreaker. It was also a close call at No. 1 doubles, a spot held down by the combo of Fuentes and Rabellino.
· The tough schedule during the month of February (which includes a match versus No. 10 William Woods University and two against community colleges) appears to have paid off for the Bulldogs, who are 5-0 in the month of March. During the win streak, Concordia has beaten Sterling College (Kan.), Bethany College (Kan.), Kansas Wesleyan University, Central and Hastings. The combined team score in those victories has been 30-7.
· Through the first 12 dual matches, Concordia players have combined to go 38-31 in singles play and 18-17 in doubles action. There are four individuals who have claimed at least six singles wins: Rodriguez (9-2), Abadia (7-3), Fuentes (6-5) and Rabellino (6-5). The most successful doubles tandem has been Abadia and Rojas, who have gone 6-1 when paired at the No. 3 spot. In singles play, Rodriguez (seven) and Abadia (five) have put together lengthy winning streaks.
· The contest with Baker was originally slated to be played on March 18. The Wildcats sit at 0-4 with two losses coming at the hands of GPAC opponents: Midland, 6-1, and Hastings, 4-3. As for Morningside, it has started out 10-5 and has won three matches in a row. The Mustangs have defeated a long line of NCAA Division III opponents and are ranked No. 4 in the GPAC (right behind Concordia). The Mustangs are coming off a 2022 season that saw them finish at 11-8 overall (2-4 GPAC).
Next week
The lone outing of next week will be a home battle with Doane on April 5. First serve is slated for 4:30 p.m. CT from Seward.