WICHITA, Kan. – Spring break in the lovely state of Kansas got underway on Friday (March 7) as the Concordia University, Men’s Tennis squad experienced the great outdoors for the first time this spring semester. The Bulldogs nearly pulled off a sweep while winning in at Riverside Tennis Center in Wichita over Friends University, 6-1. Concordia won all three doubles matches and all but one singles contest in taking care of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference opponent.
Head Coach Lisa Hart’s squad has won three in a row as it begins a hectic three-match weekend within the state of Kansas. The Bulldogs have pushed their record above .500 at 5-4.
“I am impressed with our continued growth and the depth of our lineup,” Hart said. “We continue to improve and I am very pleased with how we fought and competed in windy conditions today. Excited to get back on the court tomorrow.”
Four Concordia players won their singles and doubles matches on Friday. On the doubles court, the Bulldogs swept past the Falcons. The winning combinations included Hugo Fuentes and Nick Velders at No. 1 (6-3), Manuel Rodriguez and Joseph Melzer at No. 2 (7-5) and Santiago Abadia and Ben Chisholm at No. 3 (6-3). That momentum carried into singles.
The only team point for Friends came at No. 1 singles, where Cristobal Fuentes edged Hugo Fuentes, 7-6 (8-6), 6-1. It was also tight at No. 2, where Velders emerged victorious, 6-4, 2-6, 10-7. The rest of the singles matches were won in straight sets by Concordia: 6-0, 6-3, at No. 3 by Chisholm, 6-4, 6-2, at No. 4 by Rodriguez, 6-2, 6-0 at No. 5 by Abadia and 7-6 (7-5), 6-1 at No. 6 by Grady Works. A junior from The Netherlands, Velders stayed perfect with a 9-0 singles record (8-0 at No. 2) in dual matches this season. Meanwhile, Abadia and Chisholm are 6-1 when played together in doubles.
On the heels of rattling off three-straight wins (over Central College, Baker University and Friends), the Bulldogs will attempt to keep the streak intact on Saturday when they will be in Lindsborg, Kan., to take on Bethany College. The match is scheduled to get underway at 4:30 p.m. CT.