SEWARD, Neb. – Postseason play is up next for Concordia University Women’s Tennis. The third-seeded Bulldogs are preparing to battle sixth-seeded Northwestern in the first round of the 2024 GPAC Women’s Tennis Championship, which is slated to get underway on Thursday from First Serve Tennis Center in South Sioux City, Neb. The tournament boasts the top six teams from the final regular season standings. Head Coach Lisa Hart’s squad finished the regular season last week with a win over College of Saint Mary (5-2), a loss to Midland (3-4) and a win over Hastings (5-2). The Bulldogs enter the postseason at 10-7 overall (5-2 GPAC).
GPAC Tournament – First Round (full pairings at bottom)
Thursday, April 25 vs. Northwestern (9-9, 2-5 GPAC), 11 a.m.
--Location: First Serve Tennis Center (South Sioux City, Neb.)
By the numbers
· With a youthful roster, Hart’s program has made strides from the 2022-23 season when it finished at 4-3 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference. The 2023-24 team’s 10 overall wins and 5-2 in the conference were the most for the program (GPAC) since the 2021-22 squad set a program standard for wins while going 6-1. With no seniors on the roster, the lineup has regularly featured Tessa Blough, Chakira Derman, Alana Lopez Pagan, Mariana Molano and Alexa Richert.
· In last week’s action, Concordia was led by Derman and Richert who went 3-0 in singles in the three competitions. Lopez Pagan (CSM) and Brooke Hosick (Hastings) clinched the two wins over their opponents. Lopez Pagan and Molano went 2-0 in doubles before retiring to the Broncos. Derman and Blough went 2-1 as a duo and Lauren Gottberg at No. 3s, went 2-1 with Richert and Gabrielle Heiser. Heiser went 2-0 against Hastings and Kylie Freudenburg finished 1-0 in singles. CUNE lost a heartbreaker to Midland after splitting singles, the doubles point gave the Warriors a win. No. 1 Derman, No. 2 Molano, and No. 5 Richert all bested the 2023 conference champions.
· Entering the conference tournament, the Bulldog Blue and white have bested 54 individual singles matches and 26 doubles through the season. Molano (nine) and Lopez-Pagan (nine) have collected the most triumphs in singles, with Richert (nine) catching up to them. Molano, the sophomore out of Bogotá, Colombia, has been undefeated (5-0) at the No. 2 slot and 4-5 at No. 1. The pair, Lopez-Pagan and Molano, have the most wins as a duo (eight) plus Derman and Gottberg are unbeaten (2-0) in a couple of times they have been put together. Blough and Derman are second in doubles wins with a 6-7 record when paired together.
· Concordia will be looking to go further than last year’s exit from the GPAC tournament. The Bulldogs were defeated in the semifinals by Midland, 0-4. In the history of the GPAC tournament (first held in 2001), the program has reached the conference final three times (2008, 2011 and 2019). The ’19 team narrowly missed out on a GPAC tournament title and trip to the national tournament. That squad lost by a score of 5-4 versus Hastings in the championship match. In the 22 all-time GPAC tournaments, Concordia has reached at least the semifinal round 11 times.
· During the regular season, the Bulldogs captured GPAC wins over Mount Marty, 7-0, Northwestern, 5-2, Doane, 6-1, CSM, 5-2 and Hastings, 5-2. Morningside emerged as the GPAC regular season champion with a perfect 7-0 league mark. Below are the national rankings for each GPAC squad, according to Massey Ratings:
o 36 – Midland
o 37 – Morningside
o 55 – Concordia
o 63 – Northwestern
o 67 – Doane
o 68 – College of Saint Mary
o 72 – Hastings
o 74 – Mount Marty
2024 GPAC Women’s Tennis Tournament
Thursday play will be moved indoors to South Sioux City, Nebraska, at the First Serve Tennis Center because of the projected forecast. Saturday's location is to be determined.
Thursday, April 25 – Quarterfinals
(4) Mount Marty vs. (5) Doane, 9 a.m.
(3) Concordia vs. (6) Northwestern, 11 a.m.
Thursday, April 25 – Semifinals
(1) Morningside vs. 4/5 winner, 1 p.m.
(2) Midland vs. 3/6 winner, 3 p.m.
Saturday, April 27 – Championship
11 a.m.