LINCOLN, Neb. – A match originally scheduled to take place on the Concordia University campus changed venues to Genesis Health Club in Lincoln, Neb., on Saturday afternoon (April 21). The Bulldog women’s tennis team looked sharp while dispatching of Northwestern, 9-0. In the process, Concordia earned its first GPAC win of the season.
Fourth-year head coach Joel Reckewey’s squad improved to 10-7 overall and to 1-2 in conference play. The Bulldogs had come up on the wrong end of 5-4 scores in their first two tries against GPAC foes.
Concordia gained a commanding lead at the conclusion of doubles play in matches decided by scores of 8-5, 8-5 and 8-4, respectively. Doubles teams included the likes of Annie Horn and Kirsten Wagner at No. 1, Claudia Miranda Viera and Katelinn Wurm at No. 2 and Alison Ebel and Kayla Smock at No. 3. Those same six players also each earned singles wins. The closest call came at No. 2, where Wurm rallied and then won a 10-point tiebreaker (1-6, 6-1, 12-10).
At No. 1 singles, Horn took care of Zoe Holscher, 6-2, 6-2. Horn moved to 3-0 this season in GPAC singles matches while extending her win streak in conference regular-season contests to 10. Horn is 9-4 in 2017-18 when playing at the No. 1 singles spot. Miranda Viera and Wurm both claimed their eighth singles victories.
Four more GPAC matches remain on the regular-season schedule for Concordia women’s tennis. Up next is Tuesday’s (April 24) home match versus College of Saint Mary (7-6, 3-1). The Flames dropped a 6-3 decision in Saturday’s showdown with Hastings – a matchup that featured two teams previously undefeated in GPAC play. The Bulldogs topped CSM, 5-4, in last season’s GPAC quarterfinal meeting.