This team is different. It starts with the unique set of personalities that have come together from near and far (mostly far) to form arguably the most talented Concordia University, Nebraska Men’s Tennis team to date. Collectively, they aspire to achieve things never before accomplished in program history. Whether they do or not, they know they’ll have a blast trying.
No question about it. Especially for the three seniors, they want to soak up these moments – the get togethers at “The Tennis House,” the dinner gatherings at La Cocina and La Carreta, the practices, the matches – all of it.
Says senior Santiago Abadia, “It’s beautiful. You have your real family many kilometers away, but these people end up becoming your family (away from home). There’s not a single day in my four years at Concordia that I have felt alone. My freshman year, I roomed with Hugo (Fuentes). We’ve been living together for four years. He’s like my brother now. Now I live in The Tennis House with the tennis guys. It’s been crazy. I have a lot of stories. I’ve made memories I’ll remember all my life. It’s been a great experience.”
Abadia and Fuentes are the veterans of the 13-player Bulldog roster guided by third-year Head Coach Lisa Hart. In August of 2022, Abadia arrived via Bogotá, Colombia, and Fuentes from Denia, Spain. Two years later, Nick Velders (Gelderland, The Netherlands) joined the senior class as a transfer from Prairie State College in Illinois. Their careers have coincided with a new era for Concordia Tennis. This past 2024-25 season, the Bulldogs equaled a school record with 14 dual wins. Most of the roster returned for 2025-26. Naturally, expectations are high.
But the current seniors will leave behind a legacy that is greater than on-court success. They have helped build a program that thrives on chemistry and togetherness. The Tennis House is a great melting pot where student-athletes from eight different countries gather to learn, grow and share their cultures, values and beliefs. Hart has observed how a competitive, positive environment has developed out of the many hours spent together.
“Our men’s team has amazing team chemistry, and I think that’s going to help us,” Hart said. “I think the one thing about our men’s team is they want it. They want it so bad, and sometimes that can actually hurt you. They need to stay in the moment and play the next point, rather than living too far in the past or in the future. They have a ton of enthusiasm, a ton of drive and are so much fun to be around. They definitely make each other better.”
Within tennis, there is a hierarchy that develops as a lineup crystallizes. The most skilled players are placed at the top. For ultra competitors, there is a desire to play at the No. 1 position and face the best competition from the other side. Fuentes has played most of his career at No. 1, a spot he perhaps wasn’t quite prepared for as a freshman. He took some lumps early on, knowing that it would be part of the growth process as a team.
Fuentes explained what the dynamics are like as teammates jockey for positioning within the lineup. They know that, at the end of the day, when the final point is recorded, they’ll head back to The Tennis House and focus on the relationships.
“We’re friends,” Fuentes said. “That’s something that is really complicated in a super competitive environment. We are a team, but most of us come from a background of playing individually where you played against your teammates and your friends in tournaments. I have been playing against my friends all my life. Coming here, you have to understand that your teammates are not your opponents. What we’ve built is not just a team, but a community and a friend group. We don’t care who is playing or who is not. We obviously want to fight for the better spots, but at the same time, the end goal is winning.”
The end goal has remained top of mind as Hart has added pieces to the roster. The addition of Velders was a massive one for the 2024-25 team. Velders earned GPAC Tri-Player of the Year accolades and was named an NAIA Second Team All-American last season as he went 19-2 while playing at the No. 2 singles position. The roster even took on some newcomers heading into the 2026 spring semester as Daniel Caballeros and Leo Lopez joined the mix as transfers.
The influx of new talent makes the team better, and it also means some players may find it more challenging to crack the singles and doubles lineups. Caballeros and Lopez have earned immediate playing time. The maturity of the senior class has helped the integration process run more smoothly. People like Velders want to extend the same warm welcome that they received.
“I think we have about as good of team chemistry as you can find,” Velders said. “We have a tennis house where most of the team lives and where people come over. It’s amazing to have that place to come together at night and on weekends … They took me into the team knowing that I could add a few things to the team. I think that helped a lot. It was a very warm welcome when I got here.”
Each of the seniors effusively praises Hart for what she’s implemented into the men’s and women’s tennis programs. They already liked what Concordia had to offer, and now they appreciate how every year builds upon the previous one. In April of 2025, the Bulldogs advanced to the GPAC tournament final before falling at the hands of 17th-ranked Morningside in a match that was closer than the final team score indicated.
Since then, Concordia Men’s Tennis has been focused on doing what it takes to finish the deal, win the GPAC tournament and appear on the national stage for the first time in program history. Those goals are on the minds of each of the seniors.
Said Abadia, “We are working together for that team goal of making the national tournament and doing things that have never been done by Concordia Men’s Tennis. I love the team. I feel the culture. I feel like everyone knows their role. It’s a long season and a lot of matches, but I believe we’re going to succeed.”
It’s no surprise that his four-year roommate offers similar sentiments. The thought of traveling to Alabama in May for the national tournament is a tantalizing one. “It would mean a lot,” Fuentes said. “I don’t know what I’m personally doing after college, but I most likely won’t be that involved with tennis. It’s kind of the last dance. We want to achieve those things we’ve been pursuing for the last four years. We have a shot. Now let’s see what happens.”
The depth of the roster has reached an impressive level. Even without Fuentes in this past Monday’s matchup with Nebraska Wesleyan, the Bulldogs slid everyone up a spot and dominated, winning by a 7-0 team score. Velders ascended to the No. 1 spot while Ben Chisholm, Caballeros, Lopez, Abadia and Michael Bedrosian followed next in the singles lineup. Belgrade, Serbia, native Ognjen Gajic also contributed on the doubles court. (On another note, Bedrosian will graduate early and will walk with the 2026 Concordia senior class).
As Hart said prior to the start of the season, “They don’t care who’s playing what number. They just want to win the four points, which I think is a special thing for an individual sport. A lot of times people are selfish and into themselves. These guys have bought into the whole team concept.”
That’s the mantra and the tone set by Hart and the upperclassmen. They won’t win on chemistry alone, but it just might help get them over the hump when the margins are slim and a championship is on the line. They have the right attitude to make their dreams a reality. In so many ways, their dreams already have come to fruition.
Knowing where they were and how far they’ve come would make it all the more rewarding should their ultimate goals be realized. “We have been through hard times and really good times, but we’ve always been together,” Abadia said. “It’s been a crazy ride. I’m proud of what we have achieved up until today, and I’m sure we’re going to do big things this year.”
Added Velders, “Once I joined with other guys, the program has gone up. That’s why I’m here. I wanted to go to an ambitious program, and not a program that is already established. I wanted to build a program.”