SEWARD, Neb. – It came down to the very last match but in the end, the Concordia University women’s tennis team claimed victory on an evening when three seniors appeared at home for the final time in their careers. The Bulldogs rode a perfect run in doubles to a nail-biting 5-4 win over visiting College of Saint Mary on Thursday evening (April 26) on the Bulldog Tennis Courts.
Fourth-year head coach Joel Reckewey’s squad has now won two of its last three GPAC matches and has improved to 11-8 overall and to 2-3 in conference play.
Afterwards, senior Annie Horn reflected on a collegiate career that is nearing the end. Horn grew into one of the top players in the GPAC over the course of her distinguished four-year run with Concordia.
Said Horn, “It has been such an incredible experience playing for this team and with these girls for the last four years. I tried not to focus too much on the emotional side of things until after the match, but it definitely hit me on the last point of singles. It has been such an honor and a blessing to represent this team and this school as a Bulldog for the last four years. I wouldn’t trade a moment of this experience for anything!”
Horn and Kirsten Wagner teamed up on an 8-6 win at No. 1 doubles. The Bulldog combos of Claudia Miranda Viera and Katelinn Wurm at No. 2 and Alison Ebel and Kayla Smock at No. 3 also turned in victories to seemingly put Concordia in control of the match. However, the Flames won four of the first five singles matches that went final.
That meant all eyes were on No. 6 singles where Smock and Adriana Olague squared off. In a bout filled with drama, Smock came out on top, 6-1, 3-6, 10-7. She joined Miranda Viera as the lone Bulldogs to record singles wins. Horn was defeated, 6-4, 6-2, at No. 1.
Horn, Ebel and Amanda VonSeggern are the three seniors on this year’s roster. All three have been members of the program for four years.
The Flames (8-7, 4-2 GPAC) began conference play with three wins in a row. They were coming off a 6-3 victory over Midland on Sunday.
The Bulldogs will be in action for the third day in a row when they head to Sioux City, Iowa, for a pair of matches on Friday. Concordia will take on Morningside (7-8, 1-4 GPAC) at 11 a.m. and the Mount Marty (1-6, 0-5 GPAC) at 3 p.m.