SEWARD, Neb. – The Concordia Men’s Tennis team made the drive to a wintery Sioux City, Iowa, and played indoors against Morningside, the top ranked team in the conference. The Mustangs jumped out to an early lead and shut out the Bulldogs, 0-7, in their second conference dual.
Concordia drops to 5-9 overall and winless (0-2) in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC). Head Coach Lisa Hart commented on their play against Morningside and the team's continued growth.
“This is the best match we have played all season. Very impressed with our entire lineup one through six, and how we competed. Obviously, the outcome isn’t what we wanted but we are making huge strides as a team. We are excited for another very tough challenge against UNK on Sunday afternoon.”
Manuel Rodriguez at No. 3, pushed his opponent, Skander Ben Abdallah, losing in a heartbreaking (6-7) first set. Battling in the second, the Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, native couldn’t get it done in the end with a 4-6 final set.
No. 2 Santi Abadia and No. 5 Michael Bedrosian fell after giving their opponents trouble by taking seven games in two sets. Abadia challenged Santiago Minetti (4-6, 3-6) and Bedrosian was defeated by Mikhil Raja (3-6, 4-6) in straight sets.
Hugo Fuentes at No. 1, fell in straight sets to Mark Trenkle but didn’t give up fighting in the 4-6, 2-6, loss. Others in the singles slots were Grady Works (No. 4) and Mitch Krumm (No. 6).
The Bulldogs lost all three of the doubles matches to the Mustangs. Morningside has now reached a 9-3 overall record and an undefeated 2-0 in the conference. Taking a break from GPAC play, the team will travel to Storm Lake, Iowa to face Buena Vista University.
Concordia (5-9) will travel to face the University of Nebraska-Kearney (8-6) on Sunday (Mar. 24) at the Ernest Grundy Tennis Center. First toss is set for 3 p.m. CT.