LINCOLN, Neb. – The depth of the Concordia University women’s tennis roster was on full display at this past weekend’s GPAC Invitational (Sept. 13-14) hosted by College of Saint Mary. The Bulldogs also hosted a portion of the individual tournament on Sept. 13 before action ultimately shifted to Woods Tennis Center in Lincoln, Neb.
The GPAC Invite marked the third event of the 2019-20 season for head coach David DeSimone’s squad. Concordia also owns a team victory over NCAA Division II William Jewell College. In the latest outing, the Bulldogs combined for four championships with three coming in singles play. The tournament provided an early look at how the competition within the conference will stack up in the spring.
“There were a lot of good takeaways and a lot of things we need to get better at,” DeSimone said. “We can improve how we’re competing at the top of the lineup and in doubles. We have a lot of depth on the women’s team. We’re very strong all the way through to about 10 deep. Overall I like the way we’re competing and where we’re at on the women’s side.
The GPAC Invite featured A, B, C and D singles brackets and A and B doubles brackets for the women. Concordia won championships in four of those brackets. Singles titles were claimed by junior Ansley Gates in B, junior Katie Seja in C and sophomore Katelyn Krejci in D. The Bulldogs were especially dominant in the B singles tournament with freshman Tara Ferrel placing runner up and senior Lindee Schultz advancing to the semifinals of the consolation rounds. Meanwhile, sophomore Britney Lewis was the runner up in C singles.
In B doubles, Lewis and Shultz teamed up to win the title while Krejci and freshman Madi Smith were B doubles consolation champions. Several other Bulldogs took part in the competition. Sophomore Claudia Miranda-Viera competed in A singles to top the lineup.
Next up is the ITA Central Regional Championships coming up this Friday through Sunday (Sept. 20-22). The venue for the event has been moved to Maize South High School in Wichita, Kan.