SEWARD, Neb. – After last week’s results, Concordia University Women’s Tennis stands alone atop the GPAC standings with a perfect 5-0 conference mark. The Bulldogs are fresh off a dominant 7-0 win at Northwestern over the weekend. Now they look forward to hosting Doane, another GPAC title contender, for senior day on Tuesday. First serve is set for 4:30 p.m. CT from the Bulldog Tennis Courts.
Match Info
Concordia (8-5, 5-0) vs. Doane (10-5, 3-1)
Tuesday, April 20 | 4:30 p.m.
Seward, Neb. | Bulldog Tennis Courts
By the numbers
· Since David DeSimone became head coach in 2019, Concordia Women’s Tennis has gone 10-2 in GPAC matches. The ’19 squad (school record 15 wins) fell just short of winning the GPAC tournament title, losing by a 5-4 score to Hastings in the championship match. That heartbreaker left the program still in search of its first conference title ever. The current team needs to win at least one of the final two regular season matches in order to clinch at least a share of the GPAC regular season title.
· The Bulldogs have been ranked third in the official GPAC ratings all season. That will change considering Concordia is 5-0 in the conference and has beaten the team that was rated second, College of Saint Mary. In conference play, the Bulldogs have defeated Morningside, 4-3, Hastings, 6-1, Mount Marty, 7-0, College of Saint Mary, 4-3, and Northwestern, 7-0. Three GPAC teams currently have one conference loss: Morningside (4-1), Doane (3-1) and Midland (3-1).
· Through five GPAC matches, Concordia has gone a combined 25-5 in singles matches and 10-5 in doubles. As the results show, the Bulldogs are much deeper throughout their lineup than most GPAC opponents. Concordia has gone 10-3 at the No. 5 and 6 singles spots this season. Four individuals own at least four GPAC singles wins: Claudia Miranda Viera (5-0), Luisa Esquivel (4-0), Ansley Gates (4-0) and Sofia Morales (4-1). Morales was named the GPAC Player of the Week on April 7.
· The seniors who will be honored on Tuesday are Ansley Gates (Lincoln, Neb.), Claudia Miranda Viera (Madrid, Spain) and Katie Seja (Loveland, Colo.). Each of them contributed to the 2019 team that broke the school record for most wins in a season and advanced to the GPAC championship match. Over the past four seasons, the Bulldogs have gone a combined 42-24 overall.
· Doane has been viewed as the favorite in the conference, but dropped a 5-2 decision to Morningside on Sunday. In conference play, the Tigers have defeated Northwestern, 7-0, College of Saint Mary, 6-1, and Hastings, 7-0. Now Doane finds itself in a situation where it likely must win in Seward if it wants to at least share a GPAC regular season title. The Tigers have improved dramatically from 2019 when they went just 2-5 in conference play.
Looking ahead
Concordia will finish the regular season at Midland on Feb. 27 when they hope to have an opportunity to win the GPAC outright. The GPAC tournament will be held April 30 – May 1 at Fremont High School.