Concordia falls at hands of Baker

By Jacob Knabel on Apr. 8, 2021 in Men's Tennis

LAWRENCE, Kan. – While dipping outside of conference play, Concordia University Men’s Tennis struggled in indoor competition on Thursday (April 8) afternoon. The Bulldogs were defeated, 4-0, by Baker University in a match played at Genesis Health Club in Lawrence, Kan. In-progress matches were halted once the team victory was clinched by the Wildcats.

Head Coach David DeSimone’s squad had hoped to build upon back-to-back GPAC wins. Concordia (6-4) had been idle since defeating Hastings, 6-1, on March 31. Said DeSimone, “Luke Zoller was competing well at 4 singles. There were good things on each court, but we need to continue to put it together for the duration of the match.”

The Bulldogs dropped the doubles point to Baker, which picked up wins at the Nos. 1 and 2 positions. The Concordia duo of Joe Bindl and Jeremiah Berryman owned a 5-4 lead at No. 3 when the match was halted. At No. 2, Eduardo Rojas and Jack Kitson were narrowly beaten, 7-5, at No. 3.

The Wildcats went on to clinch the team victory by sweeping the Nos. 1 through 3 singles spots. The final three singles matches were not completed. The top three spots in the Bulldog singles lineup were held down by Gregor Lainer, Berryman and Rojas. At the No. 4 spot, Luke Zoller (3-6, 5-3) was in the process of attempting to force a tiebreaker.

Conference play will resume on Saturday when Concordia hosts Mount Marty (0-6, 0-2 GPAC) with first serve set for 11 a.m. CT from the Bulldog Tennis Courts. The Lancers have fallen in GPAC matches against Northwestern and Midland.