SEWARD, Neb. - The Concordia University, Nebraska Men’s Tennis team turned in a dominant performance Monday (Feb. 16) afternoon, blanking Nebraska Wesleyan University, 7–0, at the Bulldog Tennis Courts. The Bulldogs seized control immediately in singles play, winning five of six matches in straight sets outclassing the visitors in every spot across the lineup.
CUNE has started the season unbeaten, 4-0, so far and claimed their first team shutout of the year.
“Proud of our team, we took another step forward today,” Head Coach Lisa Hart said. “Credit to Wesleyan. They competed very well, especially at one and two singles. It was great to get outside these past couple of matches - looking forward to getting three more match opportunities this weekend.”
At No. 1, Nick Velders set the tone with a decisive 6–1, 6–4 victory over Ashton Rames, using steady baseline pressure and efficient serving. The returning GPAC Player of the Year clinched the fourth and final team point to complete the match victory. He is 6-0 going back to last season in his last six completed singles matches.
The most competitive contest came at No. 2, where Ben Chisholm battled past Gavin Nichols, 6–3, 2–6 (10-4) in a match tiebreak after the two split sets.
In the middle of the order, No. 3 Daniel Caballeros cruised to a 6–1, 6–0 win over Zac Briggs, while Leo Lopez posted a commanding 6–0, 6–0 decision against Glenn McChristian.
No. 5 Santiago Abadia continued the momentum with a 6–1, 6–2 victory over Riley Voss, and No. 6 Michael Bedrosian closed singles play with a 6–0, 7–6(1) win over Sam Rademacher.
Doubles play mirrored the tone of singles, as Concordia swept all three courts with crisp teamwork and assertive net play. At No. 1 doubles, Chisholm and Velders earned a 6–2 win over Ian Armbrust and Rademacher.
The duo of Abadia and Caballeros followed with another 6–2 victory against Nichols and Voss on court two. At No. 3, Ognjen Gajic and Lopez capped the sweep with a 6–1 decision over Briggs and McChristian.
The Bulldogs (4-0) will face Ottawa University (1-1) on Saturday (Feb. 21) in Grand Island, Neb. Concordia will toss the first serve at 11 a.m. CT in the Grand Island Tennis Center.