LINDSBORG, Kan. – Concordia women’s tennis team opened their 2023-24 season at the Bethany College Invitational this past weekend (Sept. 8&9). The match format was set to an eight-game winner take all, with a seven-point tiebreak to decide the match on an 8-8 final.
Head coach Lisa Hart spoke about leading her first matches for the Bulldogs. “It was really great to get out on the courts and play good competition early for our first matches. We wanted to go out and have fun, be competitive, and see how the players performed. I’m proud of our effort and look forward to growing throughout our first season together.”
Returning sophomore, All-GPAC Mariana Molano was seeded sixth in A singles and finished first in the consolation bracket (fifth overall) gaining one seed through the tournament with a 1-1 record. Alana Lopez-Pagan finished 1-2 as the third seed in B singles.
Kylie Freudenberg (1-1) and Alexa Richert (0-2) played in C singles with the seventh and eighth seeds respectively. In D singles, Gabrielle Heiser garnered a 2-1 record conceding in the finals (8-5) after having the last seed (eighth) in her bracket.
Others competing in the singles tournament were, Brooke Hosick (0-2, E singles), Lauren Gottenberg (2-1, F singles), Teya Badger (1-2, F singles), and Mia Golka (2-1, G singles).
In A doubles, Molano and Tessa Blough finished 1-2 matching their received fourth seed. Lopez-Pagan and Heiser paired well, going 2-1 falling in the B seed doubles final.
Freudenberg and Badger went 1-1 in B seed doubles, as Gottenberg and Hosick faired well with a 2-1 record in C doubles. Golka and Richert gathered a 2-1 record in C doubles to finish off duo brackets in Lindsborg.
Concordia will see how they fair next in the GPAC fall individual tournament on Sept. 15 and 16 in Lincoln. The tournament is set to start at 9 a.m. CT both days at the Woods Tennis Center towards the end of the week.