PELLA, Iowa – Spring break in Iowa continued for the Concordia University men’s tennis team, which faced off with yet another NCAA Division III team on Wednesday (March 11). The Bulldogs rallied from a 2-1 deficit after doubles to defeat Central College, 6-3, in a match played in Pella, Iowa. Concordia won four singles matches over the Dutch.
Second-year head coach David DeSimone’s squad is 2-2 during its run against NCAA D-III foes. The Bulldogs are now 5-4 overall.
“Our men played very well in singles to bounce back after being down 2-1,” DeSimone said. “We played well at some key moments to win some tiebreakers. That was great to see after a difficult Coe match.”
In doubles play, the No. 2 duo of junior Jeremy Berryman and freshman Eduardo Rojas put together a dominant performance, winning 8-2. Concordia fell behind, however, when it dropped the Nos. 1 and 3 doubles matches.
This one could have gone either way. Berryman (No. 2) and sophomore Jack Kitson (No. 5) held off their opponents in third-set tiebreakers to help ensure the team victory with decisions of 6-2, 2-6, 10-5, respectively, and 6-3, 6-7, 12-10, respectively. In addition, Rojas won at No. 3 (6-4, 6-2) and sophomore Isaac Howes came out on top at No. 4 (7-5, 6-2).
Central (2-11) proved strong at the top where William Isiminger had the upper hand at No. 1 singles and doubles. The Dutch compete as a member of the American Rivers Conference.
The final match of spring break week for the Bulldogs will take place on Thursday at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa. First serve is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. CT.