Head Coach: Lisa Hart (1st season at Concordia; 22nd season overall as a college head coach)
2022-23 record: 13-9 overall, 4-3 GPAC (4th)
Key returners: Tessa Blough (Jr.); Kylie Freudenburg (Jr.); Lauren Gottberg (So.); Gabrielle Heiser (So.); Brooke Hosick (Jr.); Alana Lopez Pagan (So.); Mariana Molano (So.).
Key losses: Ella Dean; Tara Ferrel.
Newcomers: Teya Badger; Chakira Derman; Mia Golka; Alexa Richert.
2023 GPAC All-Conference: Tessa Blough (HM singles/doubles); Tara Ferrel (HM singles); Alana Lopez Pagan (HM doubles); Mariana Molano (singles).
Outlook
The announcement that came out of Concordia Athletics on Aug. 8, 2023, likely raised some eyebrows. Formerly the head coach of the women’s tennis programs at Virginia Tech and Washington State University, Lisa Hart was tabbed to fill the vacancy at Concordia. It’s a new type of challenge for Hart, a 21-year head coaching veteran and a University of Nebraska-Lincoln alum. Most recently the Associate Head Women’s Tennis Coach for the Cornhuskers, Hart didn’t have to go far to find Seward.
The position interested Hart because she saw strong administrative leadership in place and a strong Christian environment conducive to attracting top student-athletes. There’s potential for Concordia Tennis to blow up in a big way.
“I’m really enjoying it,” Hart said. “I keep waiting for things to change, but everyone is so incredibly nice and supportive. They’ve been that way since day one. It’s been a breath of fresh air. We have amazing student-athletes to work with – very appreciative, hard-working. The competition is going to be great this year. We just want to keep trying to improve a little bit every day and maximize our potential on and off the court.”
Hart inherits a women’s tennis program that finished last season at 13-9 overall and in fourth place in the GPAC standings. The Bulldogs more than doubled their win total from the 2021-22 campaign while getting a major boost from now sophomore Mariana Molano. She took over the top spot in the singles lineup and put together an impressive 13-5 record. The team’s list of All-GPAC returners includes Molano, Tessa Blough and Alana Lopez Pagan. Blough and Lopez Pagan hinted at what might be to come this spring when they combined to win a GPAC doubles championship during fall action.
The fall portion of the 2022-23 campaign included three weekends of tournaments and a dual with NCAA Division II William Jewell College. Not only did Blough and Lopez Pagan display their supremacy among GPAC doubles pairs, transfer Chakira Derman showed she will immediately be a player to be reckoned with. She earned a win at No. 1 singles over her counterpart of William Jewell. As for Mariana, she expects to be healthy after battling injury in the fall.
“Chakira and Mariana are great players,” Hart said. “Mariana has been out most of the fall with some injuries. We think she’s recovered and will really contribute for us on the court this spring. Chakira had a great fall and got a little bit better every day. She had a really good win in our last match at William Jewell at No. 1 singles. We had Tessa and Alana win the GPAC doubles tournament. I’m really excited about our depth. We have a bunch of freshmen and some great sophomores. I’m excited about the whole entire team, but Chakira and Mariana will definitely help us at the top of the lineup.”
A native of Cody, Wyo., Blough possesses the most collegiate playing experience of anyone on the roster. She’s notched 11 singles wins and 14 doubles victories as a Bulldog. Additional returning players include Kylie Freudenburg, Lauren Gottberg, Gabrielle Heiser and Brooke Hosick. Several of those Bulldogs were joined in the fall lineup at William Jewell by freshman Alexa Richert of Gillette, Wyo. In total, eight of the team’s players are either freshmen or sophomores.
Said Blough of the progress she witnessed in the fall, “I think we’ve seen the most improvement in our dedication and desire to work hard in the offseason to prepare for this season. I think our dedication is a big improvement. We have quite a few freshmen. Based on the fall season, I think they’re really going to help us this spring. Chakira is going to be a great asset to the team. All of them are going to bring their individual skills and teamwork. I think we’re going to have a great season, and I’m looking forward to it.”
Blough also says that Hart has helped bring members of the team closer together while fostering a new type of energy. Hart sees the potential for the program to take off. Concordia Women’s Tennis shared the GPAC regular season title as recently as 2021 and has been the GPAC tournament runner up three times (2008, 2011 and 2019). Eventually, Hart would love to lead the Bulldogs to Mobile, Ala., site of the NAIA National Championships, but for now, the focus is on the process it takes to accomplish such a lofty aim.
“We are trying to solidify with each team what we’re trying to do and keep the focus on the process: getting a little bit better every day,” Hart said. “We want to work as hard as we can, have the best attitude that we can and represent Concordia to the best of our abilities. Be the best teammate and team player we can be. We’re just trying to control the things we have control over. I think the results will take care of themselves.”
The 2023-24 season will resume on Feb. 9 when the Bulldogs will take on Mount Marty (officially a nonconference match). The 2024 spring slate will be heavy on clashes with members of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference. GPAC play is slated to get started in late March and will continue through the month of April. The GPAC Tennis Championships will move to Morningside University in Sioux City, Iowa, this year. Concordia and its GPAC rivals will attempt to dethrone Midland for the title.
The Bulldogs will soon find out where they stand. Says Hart, “I think we have a really good foundation in place with the players we have in the program. We want to continue to get better and be a little more competitive on the court. That’s going to be important. We want to make sure the players we recruit are the right fits for our program and our university. That’s a huge thing – making sure we have the right people on the bus so we can all pull in the same direction and make sure we maximize our abilities.”
View the complete Concordia Women’s Tennis schedule HERE.