SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Concordia University, Nebraska Men’s Tennis dropped a 2-5 bout at No. 14 Morningside University on Sunday (March 29) at the Mason Family Tennis Complex. The Bulldogs picked up two singles victories via Nick Velders and Daniel Caballeros battling in several tight contests, but the Mustangs secured the points needed to take the top GPAC clash.
Head Coach Lisa Hart and the Seward side are 13-4 overall and 1-1 in the GPAC.
“Heartbreaker for us,” Coach Hart said. “Proud of the fight our guys showed today. The one positive thing about losing is that it always teaches you things and gives you something to work on, if you let it. We are excited to get back to work and finish our conference season strong. We would love to be in a position to play for a conference championship. We will keep working towards that every practice and match.”
Concordia opened the day by earning a win at No. 1 doubles as Leo Lopez and Daniel Caballeros edged Marcos Menendez and Alexis Diaz in a tiebreaker, 7-6 (7-4). However, Morningside claimed the doubles point with victories at the No. 2 and No. 3 slots.
In singles play, the Bulldogs came out with strong efforts in the middle of the lineup. Nick Velders delivered his killer instincts at No. 2, defeating Diaz, 7-6 (7-3), 6-1. Current GPAC Player of the Week Velders remains undefeated (15-0) against the ITA 18th-ranked Diaz.
Daniel Caballeros followed with one of the most resilient wins of the day at No. 3 singles. After dropping the opening set, Caballeros rallied to take the second in a tiebreaker over Mathys Arnold (ranked No. 24 in ITA) before closing out the match in the super tiebreak, 1-6, 7-6 (7-3), 10-4.
Morningside secured the remaining singles points to seal the dual. Hugo Fuentes fell at No. 1, 1-6, 2-6, while Ben Chisholm dropped a 5-7, 2-6 decision at No. 4. At No. 5, Leo Lopez was defeated, 3-6, 3-6, and Ognjen Gajic battled in a three-set thriller at No. 6 before falling just short, 6-4, 1-6, 9-11.
The Bulldogs (13-4, 1-1 GPAC) will face Midland (4-10, 1-0 GPAC) after a large break on Friday (April 10). Concordia will reach for the first serve at 4:30 p.m. CT at the Bulldog Tennis Courts.