FREMONT, Neb. – Nail-biters in singles play became a theme on Saturday (April 22) as the Concordia University Women’s Tennis team wrapped up its regular season with a 4-3 win over Northwestern. The Bulldogs managed to persevere in two of the three singles matches that went to three sets in a contest that took place at the Fremont, Neb., YMCA. Concordia won two of three doubles matches and then split the six singles clashes with the Red Raiders.
Head Coach Cam Long’s squad has won four of its last five matches and has locked up fourth place in the final GPAC standings. The Bulldogs will enter the GPAC tournament at 12-8 overall (4-3 GPAC).
“Another great win for our team,” Long said. “These close matches will help us next week in the tournament. We’ve really come together as a team and have been resilient this past week. We look forward to postseason play.”
Just as it did in Thursday’s win over College of Saint Mary, Concordia played without top player Mariana Molano, who it hopes to have back for the GPAC tournament. Everyone bumped up a spot in the lineup in her absence. The Bulldogs gained the advantage after doubles thanks to wins at the Nos. 1 and 2 spots. The combo of Tessa Blough and Alana Lopez Pagan won by a 6-1 score at No. 1 and Ella Dean and Tara Ferrel teamed up for a 6-4 triumph at No. 2. Northwestern came out on top at No. 3, 6-4.
The Red Raiders (8-10, 3-4 GPAC) led the team score by a count of 3-2 with two singles matches yet to go final. Both of those battles went to three sets as Lopez Pagan won at No. 2, 4-6, 6-0, 6-4, and Gabrielle Heiser outlasted her opponent at No. 6, 6-3, 5-7, 6-2. Prior to those matches, Northwestern had won in three sets at No. 5. Dean also came out on top at No. 3 with a 6-3, 6-3, decision. The remaining spots in the Concordia lineup were held down by Blough at No. 1, Ferrel at No. 4 and Brooke Hosick at No. 5.
The Bulldogs defeated Northwestern by a final of 5-2 in 2022. The Red Raiders have improved considerably from a year ago when they finished at 4-12 overall (1-6 GPAC). They own GPAC wins this season over Hastings, Mount Marty and College of Saint Mary.
The conference tournament is up next on the slate. The event will be held at Genesis Health Clubs in Omaha (on the women’s side) on April 28-29. The Bulldogs will be the No. 4 seed in the single-elimination tournament and will play the morning of Aril 28 in the first round.