SEWARD, Neb. – Cool temperatures and blustery conditions greeted Concordia University Women’s Tennis as it got the conference opener underway on Saturday (March 25) morning. The Bulldogs cut through the wind and turned away visiting Hastings, 7-0, in a clean sweep that took place on the home courts in Seward. All six Concordia players who saw action in the contest earned wins in both doubles and singles. The Broncos made it tight at the No. 6 singles and No. 2 doubles positions.
Head Coach Cam Long’s squad has moved to 4-1 in the month of March while pushing the overall record to 7-5. The only loss during the month was a highly contested 4-3 decision at Bethany College (Kan.).
“This was good to see and a great way to start conference play,” Long said. “We started to gain momentum as a team and got a little bit out of our routine and rhythm over spring break, but we looked good and played very smart today. If we can continue to play like this, good things can happen for us in the coming weeks.”
The overall dominance was impressive while up against a Hastings squad that had gone 5-3 outside of league play. In doubles play, the point was clinched as the Nos. 1 and 3 Concordia tandems both won by 6-2 scores. Those duos were made up of Tessa Blough and Alana Lopez Pagan at No. 1 and Ella Dean and Gabrielle Heiser at No. 3. The only drama was whether the Bulldogs could pull it out at No. 2. They did just that behind Tara Ferrel and Mariana Molano, 7-6 (7-5).
The Broncos nearly got on the board at No. 6 singles, which went to a tiebreaker. Concordia took that point when Gabrielle Heiser held off Jenna Davison, 2-6, 6-2, 1-0 (2). At all other singles spots, the Bulldogs won every set. Decisions (in lineup order) were taken by Molano, 6-1, 6-0, Blough, 6-4, 6-2, Lopez Pagan, 6-2, 6-0, Dean, 6-3, 6-4, and Ferrel, 6-1, 6-2. Molano will be a challenge for anyone in the GPAC to beat. The freshman now stands at 8-4 this season in singles action.
On the other hand, Hastings slipped to 5-4 overall. The Broncos own wins over NAIA foes in Tabor College (Kan.), Friends University (Kan.) and Baker University (Kan.). Concordia has won each of the last four series meetings over Hastings.
A makeup match at Baker University is coming up on Tuesday in Baldwin City, Kan. First serve is set for 1 p.m. CT. The two programs last met up in 2021 when the Wildcats took a 5-2 decision.