SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The No. 3 seed Bulldogs gave their all against No. 1 seed Morningside but fell in the GPAC tournament championship on Saturday (April 26). After dropping the doubles point, Concordia University, Nebraska Men’s Tennis couldn’t find its footing against the 17th-ranked Mustangs (0-4) in three singles matches, giving the hosts what they needed to take the title.
Head Coach Lisa Hart and the Dawgs finish with a 14-8 record, the second highest number of wins in a season and make the final for the second time in the program’s history.
“I am so proud of the way this group came together and battled all season,” Head Coach Lisa Hart said. “They improved on the court and performed extremely well, but more importantly, the way they carry themselves and positively represented Concordia University made me the most proud. Only losing Manuel, this group has a lot of potential for next season.”
Morningside’s Santiago Minetti clinched the final championship match winner over No. 4 Santiago Abadia (5-7, 2-6). The Mustangs finalized the championship sweep from the regular season and the tournament.
Earlier in doubles, No. 1s Hugo Fuentes and Nick Velders defeated Mark Trenkle and Minetti (6-4) to tie the doubles sets at one apiece. The Netherlands and Spain combo posted their 13th win as a pair. The strong record-breaking No. 2s Abadia and Ben Chisholm clashed with Alexis Diaz and Marcos Menedez, who needed an extra game to decide the winner, as Morningside finished on top (5-7).
No. 3 Grady Works fell to Diaz (5-7, 3-6) early and No. 5 Ben Chisholm lost to Mathys Arnold (1-6, 2-6).
Three matches went unfinished in singles as No. 2 Nick Velders was on his way to a 20th win this season but stopped before the final (6-4, 3-6, 4-3). The Prairie State transfer went 19-2 in his first year as a Bulldog. No. 6 Michael Bedrosian and Jesse Gerth were in a three-set battle that remains unfinished (6-4, 4-6, 3-4).
The top guys for both teams in Fuentes and the Mustangs’ Trenkle had just finished two sets. Trenkle took the first and Fuentes the second (2-6, 7-5).
Concordia (14-8) improved from tied for 5th in 2024 to tying for 2nd in 2025 under Coach Hart. The Bulldogs bring back a massive majority of their historic lineup for next season.