OMAHA, Neb. – The rematch of the in-state showdown that culminated between No. 2 seed Concordia University, Nebraska and No. 3 seed Doane became a one-sided affair (4-0) in favor of the upper seed of the GPAC semifinal on Thursday (April 23). Inside the Hanscomb Indoor Tennis Center, the lower seeds took care of business with fist pumps all around for the Bulldog Blue.
The women’s tennis team makes an appearance in the conference tournament championship for the second consecutive year posting a 16-5 record thus far. With a win on Saturday, the Dawgs would match last year’s single-season win record (17) in the program’s history.
“Proud of our team today,” Head Coach Lisa Hart commented. “They showed a lot of competitive spirit. Really proud of how we competed throughout the lineup. Looking forward to playing for a championship on Saturday.”
Veteran No. 4 Alana Lopez Pagan put the match to bed to clinch the win over the Tigers’ Grace Schroller (6-2, 6-4) in consecutive sets. The senior from Forney, Texas, won her 43rd singles bout of her career.
Earlier in the matchup, No. 6 Nina Milic continued her barrel through her opponents with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Alejadra Prat. The Serbian has won eight singles in a row finding her stride with a 15-4 (team-leader in wins) showing as a sophomore.
No. 5 Alexa Richert performed the quickest blowout walkover via defeat of Doane’s Isabella Castillero, 6-1, 6-1. The Gillette, Wyo., product has won four in a row and 37 singles matches in her career.
In doubles, the Bulldogs dropped their set at No. 1, 2-6, but quickly responded by way of No. 2s Chakira Derman and Lopez Pagan, 6-2. With the first point on the line, it all came down to a tiebreaker in the back-and-forth slugfest. No. 3s Richert and Milic edged out Castillero and Prat, 7-6 (7-5), for the big momentum point early on.
Concordia (16-5) will look to defend its GPAC tournament title against the familiar foe No. 16 Morningside (25-1) on Saturday. The Bulldogs are set to take the courts at 1:30 p.m. CT in the Genesis Health Club (Westroads). The Mustangs won the first matchup, 6-1.