SEWARD, Neb. – Hugo Fuentes and Nick Velders pushed the pace against the previously dominant No. 18 Morningside but with a 3-3 tie down to the final match, the Dawgs came up short (3-4). Concordia University, Nebraska Men’s Tennis took the doubles point early with gritty team play as the pairings continue to thrive under Head Coach Lisa Hart.
The men’s squad moves to 9-6 overall and has had a 1-1 early GPAC showing in conference.
“Today was an awesome day of tennis,” Coach Hart said. “We competed well and played well. Heartbreaking match to lose 4-3, but I know our players are committed to putting in the work to improve upon some things. They will get ready for the rest of our GPAC season and the GPAC tourney! I’m extremely proud of every member of our team - their energy and effort today were outstanding.”
After dropping the No. 3 doubles match, No. 2s Santiago Abadia and Ben Chisholm defeated Alexis Diaz and Marcos Menendez Hervella (6-4) to even the doubles play. The pair has totaled a team high 10 wins (10-3 record) in their first year as a duo. No. 1s Velders and Fuentes lost a 5-3 lead as Morningside tied the match 5-5, making even the doubles set come down to the wire. The pair of Bulldogs stepped on the gas and won the final two games, taking the victory (7-5) over Mark Trenkle and Santiago Minetti.
Concordia found itself down 3-1 after the Mustangs responded at No. 3, 4 and 5 singles. No. 2 Velders flexed his muscles over a talented Menendez Hervella, finishing a battle for straight sets (7-6 (5), 7-6 (4)). The Apeldorn, The Netherlands, native seized another win in individual play and has tallied a 14-1 overall singles record.
Giving up the first set (2-6), the Denia, Spain, Fuentes dialed up the pressure on Mark Trenkle and grabbed the following set (6-3). The IES Sorts De La Mar product kept putting on more steam and drilled through the final set (6-1) to tie the match at three apiece.
No. 6 Abadia matched with Jesse Gerth in the final bout and the Mustang’s steady play and hot serve led to a loss (1-6, 1-6) for the Dawgs.
The talented Morningside (15-1, 3-0 GPAC) stays unbeaten in the conference led by Gerth and Mathys Arnold going unbeaten on the day. The Mustangs will take on Northwestern at home next week.
Concordia (9-6, 1-1 GPAC) will take on the Red Raiders (3-7, 0-0 GPAC) after a break from the competition court. The Bulldogs defeated Northwestern (4-3) in a tight match last season.