CRETE, Neb. – The Concordia Men’s Tennis team found their way to Crete, Neb. to face off against conference rival Doane on Wednesday night (Apr. 10). The Bulldogs gave their all against a mix of veterans and newcomers for the Tigers, but dropped the dual, 1-6. After the loss, Concordia moves down to 6-11 overall and 1-3 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC).
Head Coach Lisa Hart commented on the talented Doane squad and what they plan to do to get better.
“Doane is a tough team, and we knew we would have to bring our best. We got down early but continued to fight through all the matches. We are growing with a young team and will continue to work hard in practice. Then we will bring that intensity to our duals. We look forward to our final three duals.”
No. 2s Michael Bedrosian and Santi Abadia fell early (2-6) in their doubles set, along with No.1s Hugo Fuentes and Manuel Rodriguez (4-6) against Federico Infante and Diego Infante. With the doubles point out of reach, No. 3s Grady Works and Mitch Krumm found a way to grind out a 7-5 victory to silence a potential sweep.
With the match already won by the home team, No. 2 Santi Abadia came away with a straight set victory (6-4, 7-6 (7-2)), battling hard for the second round. The sophomore, out of Bogotá, Colombia, jumped up from No. 5 singles last season to No. 2 singles. He has still shown the ability to win even with the higher seed. Abadia has won six singles matches with three left to play and has to pass last year’s total (eight) with three duals left on the schedule.
Bedrosian at No. 5, came out strong and defeated Andre Hartman in the first set (6-2). The endurance of the freshman wouldn’t last, as Hartman took two straight (6-4, 6-4) from him to steal the win.
Others competing in singles were Fuentes (No. 1), Rodriguez (No. 2), Works (No. 4) and Krumm (No, 6).
The Tigers stay undefeated (2-0) in the conference and 11-8 overall. Doane was led by Esteban Gutierrez (No. 1), Jose Purizaca (No. 2) and Diego Infante (No. 4). They will take on Northwestern in their next conference bout.
Concordia (6-10) will welcome Wartburg College (6-15) out of Iowa to the Bulldog Tennis Courts on Saturday. First toss is set for a bright and early 9 a.m. CT.