SEWARD, Neb. – The defending tournament champion Bulldogs enter the playoff as the No. 2 seed and will face the winner of Doane and Hastings in the semifinals on Thursday (April 23). Concordia University, Nebraska Women’s Tennis earned a quarterfinal bye, along with No. 1 seed Morningside. The conference playoff will be held in a new location at the Koch Tennis Center in Omaha, but will be moved to Genesis Health Club (Westroads) if there is inclement weather.
GPAC Tournament – (full pairings at bottom)
Semifinals: Thursday, April 23 vs. No. 3 Doane/No. 6 Hastings (3-7, 1-5 GPAC), 11:45 a.m.
--Location: Koch Tennis Center (Omaha, Neb.)
Finals: Saturday, April 25 vs. No. 1 Morningside/ No. 4/5 Winner (13-6, 5-1 GPAC), TBA
--Location: Koch Tennis Center (Omaha, Neb.)
· In her third season, Head Coach Lisa Hart and her team ended with a 15-5 overall with a 6-1 conference record. The Bulldogs started the season 7-1 with their only loss coming to the University of Nebraska-Omaha. They then finished the season strong with a five-match winning streak. Concordia has beaten its opponents 88-44 this season. The biggest win of the season came against a then-ranked No. 19 William Woods University (Mo.), 4-2, on the road.
· The individual singles records are 79-33 overall for the Concordia Women’s squad. Nina Milic leads the Bulldogs with 14 wins on the season. Ishane Derman is right behind her with 13 having broken the single-season record (18) last year. All four of the other starters have reached double-figure wins including Mariana Molano (12), Alexa Richert (12), Chakira Derman (11) and Alana Lopez Pagan (11). These six have been the mainstays in singles for the entirety of the 2025-26 season.
· In doubles, Coach Hart has mixed different doubles lineups to try and get some of the best pairings. Teamed at No. 1s primarily, Molano and Ishane have the most wins (eight) of any Concordia duo. Lopez Pagan and Chakira have six wins and may be the hottest with a five-match winning streak. Richert and Milic have two wins looking to gain momentum with each other in the postseason.
· Mariana Molano has reached 50 singles wins in her career as the all-time leader in CUNE Women’s Tennis. Doing it all from primarily the No. 1 position, the Bulldogs will lean on the experienced senior in postseason play. With a veteran lineup, many have over 30 career wins including Molano, Lopez Pagan (42), Chakira (37), Richert (36) and Ishane (31).
· With a five-match streak mounting, the Bulldogs have found a rhythm at the right time. As their only loss came to No. 17 Morningside (1-6), they have rolled over their opponents since with a 29-6 point record. Milic (seven), Chakira (five), Ishane (four) and Richert (three) all have significant consecutive wins.
· The Bulldogs will have a chance to defend their title from a season ago, as the 2025 team was the GPAC tournament champions last season. As the No. 3 seed, Concordia upset No. 2 Doane, 4-1, and No. 1-seeded Morningside, 4-2. The Bulldogs also had to win in the quarterfinals over No. 6 CSM, 4-0, to take the crown. This was the first time Concordia had ever won the conference tournament in the program’s history.
· The regular season standings ended with the Mustangs unbeaten (7-0). The Bulldogs' one loss came from Morningside taking second place at 6-1. Doane (4-3) and College of Saint Mary (4-3) ended with the same record with the Tigers having an advantage for the tie break. Midland (3-4) and Hastings (2-5) enter the tournament as the last seeds with Northwestern (2-5) and Mount Marty (0-7) left just outside.
· The women were ranked in the latest NAIA Tennis ARC release on April 14. The Bulldogs are No. 9 in the Midwest region just above William Woods. Bethel College (Kan.) and McPherson College (Kan.) are rated just ahead of the Bulldogs. Twenty teams make the national tournament but the on automatic bid for the GPAC is the conference tournament winner. The newest ARC release will come out on Monday (April 27).
2025 GPAC Women’s Tennis Tournament
Thursday, April 23 – Quarterfinals
(4) CSM vs. (5) Midland, 8 a.m.
(3) Doane vs. (6) Hastings, 8 a.m.
Thursday, April 23 – Semifinals
(1) Morningside vs. 4/5 winner, 11:45 a.m.
(2) Concordia vs. 3/6 winner, 11:45 a.m.
Saturday, April 25 – Championship
TBA