SEWARD, Neb. – Concordia Men’s Tennis will look to shake off its first conference loss to Mount Marty, competing in two duals this week. The Bulldogs will host Division III’s Central College (Iowa) on Friday (Mar. 15) at the Bulldog Tennis Courts at 2 p.m. CT. Less than 24 hours later, Concordia will travel to Midland and compete at the Fremont Family YMCA on Saturday. Head Coach Lisa Hart’s squad is 4-7 overall and 0-1 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC).
This Week
Friday, March 15 vs. Central College (2-8), 2 p.m.
--Location: Bulldog Tennis Courts (Seward, Neb.)
Saturday, March 16 at Midland (5-3), 11 a.m.
--Location: Fremont YMCA (Fremont, Neb.)
By the numbers
· With a 4-7 record, the Bulldogs have had an up and down season so far having won four out of five duals from Feb. 10-Mar. 2. Since, CUNE has fallen twice to Iowa Central Community College (0-7) and Mount Marty in its conference opener. The four teams Concordia bested: Baker University (Kan.), 5-2, Tabor College (Kan.), 5-2, University of Saint Mary (Kan.), 5-2, and Sterling College (Kan.), 4-3. With those wins, the Bulldogs are 4-2 against opponents from Kansas.
· Concordia owns three losses from Mount Marty (two non-conference, one conference) but the final dual showed the in-season improvement that coaches tend to look for. CUNE had only gained one point in the first two matches but garnered two wins in singles in the most recent 2-5 loss. While moral victories aren’t why most play the game, the team continues to gain confidence under first year coach Hart. No. 1 Hugo Fuentes and No. 2 Sani Abadia garnered their first wins against the Lancers and will have more assertiveness after getting conference wins.
· The Bulldogs have totaled 18 singles wins and 12 in doubles. Michael Bedrosian leads the team in singles with five, as Abadia and Manuel Rodriguez follow with four apiece. The two pace the team in doubles victories (four) and have the highest winning percentage (80) of the pairings. Luke Johnson and Grady works have collected two, along with Abadia and Bedrosian.
· The Dutch are 2-8 so far this season with victories over Greenville University (Ill.) and Cornell College (Iowa). Both were in close bouts with 5-4 as the final scores. The Warriors come into the matchup 5-3 and are the defending GPAC Champions. Under new coach, Robert Weber, Midland returns six players who attained significant playing time from their championship season in 2023. Most significantly, Ben Starman (No. 1), Joren Stevens and Nathen Bitzer. Key losses from last season were Luca Struffi, Nunzio Thiel and Tycho Janssen. This match will be played as a non-conference competition.
Next week
Next weekend Concordia will continue conference play competing against Morningside on Saturday and University of Nebraska-Kearney on Sunday. After, the Bulldogs will have only one non-conference match remaining and four conference duals.