SEWARD, Neb. – Postseason play is up next for Concordia University Women’s Tennis. The fourth-seeded Bulldogs are preparing to match up with fifth-seeded Northwestern in the first round of the 2023 GPAC Women’s Tennis Tournament, which is slated to get underway on Friday from Genesis Health Clubs in Omaha, Neb. The tournament features the top six teams from the final regular season standings. Head Coach Cam Long’s squad wrapped up the regular season last week with wins over College of Saint Mary, 5-2, and Northwestern, 4-3. The Bulldogs enter the postseason at 12-8 overall (4-3 GPAC).
GPAC Tournament – First Round (full pairings at bottom)
Friday, April 28 vs. Northwestern (8-10, 3-4 GPAC), 9 a.m.
--Location: Genesis Health Clubs (Omaha, Neb.)
By the numbers
· With a youthful roster, Long’s program has made significant strides from the 2021-22 season when it finished at 6-11 overall (3-4 GPAC). The 2022-23 team’s 12 overall wins are the most for the program since the 2018-19 squad set a program standard for wins while going 15-6. The lone senior on this year’s roster is Lincoln North Star High School product Tara Ferrel. The lineup has regularly featured freshmen Ella Dean, Gabrielle Heiser, Alana Lopez Pagan and Mariana Molano, in addition to sophomores such as Tessa Blough and Brooke Hosick.
· In last week’s action, Concordia won five of six singles matches and one of three doubles matches at College of Saint Mary and three of six singles matches and two of three doubles matches versus Northwestern. Impressively, the Bulldogs won back-to-back GPAC matches despite top player Mariana Molano being sidelined. Freshman Ella Dean of Lincoln, Neb., stepped up and went 2-0 at both No. 3 singles and No. 2 doubles last week. She teamed up with Tara Ferrel in doubles. The battle with Northwestern came down to the wire and required Alana Lopez Pagan (No. 2 singles) and Gabrielle Heiser (No. 6 singles) to pull out three-set victories. On the other hand, Concordia had its way with CSM in singles – after having gone down in doubles.
· Entering the conference tournament, the Bulldogs have produced combined records of 64-53 in singles and 36-23 in doubles. Molano has gone 12-5 in singles (all at the No. 1 spot) while enjoying a fine freshman season. Molano recently defeated two regionally ranked opponents: No. 11 Melanie Ortega of Grand View and No. 13 Arianna Lumanog of Midland. Three other Bulldogs have notched at least seven singles wins: Dean (8-5), Lopez Pagan (8-8) and Hosick (7-10). In doubles, Dean and Ferrel have teamed up for an 8-4 record. Dean possesses a sparking 14-5 doubles mark (with three different partners). The 14 doubles wins have equaled a school record for a single season. That record is shared with Allison Marshall and Kirsten Wagner (2018-19).
· Concordia will be looking to atone for last year’s early exit from the GPAC tournament. The Bulldogs were defeated in the first round by College of Saint Mary, 4-0. In the history of the GPAC tournament (first held in 2021), the program has reached the conference final three times (2008, 2011 and 2019). The ’19 team narrowly missed out on a GPAC tournament title and trip to the national tournament. That squad lost by a score of 5-4 versus Hastings in the championship match. In the 21 all-time GPAC tournaments, Concordia has reached at least the semifinal round 10 times.
· During the regular season, the Bulldogs captured GPAC wins over Hastings, 7-0, Mount Marty, forfeit, College of Saint Mary, 5-2, and Northwestern, 4-3. Midland emerged as the GPAC regular season champion with a perfect 7-0 league mark. Below are the national rankings for each GPAC squad, according to Massey Ratings:
o 34 – Midland
o 39 – Morningside
o 52 – Doane
o 54 – Concordia
o 64 – Northwestern
o 66 – Hastings
o 70 – College of Saint Mary
o 80 – Mount Marty
2023 GPAC Women’s Tennis Tournament
Friday matches will take place at Genesis Health Club in Omaha; Saturday’s championship match will be held at the Fremont YMCA in Fremont, Neb.
Friday, April 28 – Quarterfinals
(4) Concordia vs. (5) Northwestern, 9 a.m.
(3) Doane vs. (6) College of Saint Mary, 11 a.m.
Friday, April 28 – Semifinals
(1) Midland vs. 4/5 winner, 1 p.m.
(2) Morningside vs. 3/6 winner, 3 p.m.
Saturday, April 29 – Championship
11 a.m.