FREMONT, Neb. – Up against defending conference champion Midland, the Concordia University Women’s Tennis knew it had to be at the top of its game on Saturday (April 15) afternoon. On the plus side, freshman Mariano Molano secured victories in both doubles and singles, however, it wasn’t enough to overcome the Warriors’ top-to-bottom depth. Midland walked away a 6-1 winner in a match played inside the Fremont, Neb., YMCA.
Head Coach Cam Long’s squad went 2-1 this week and now stands at 10-8 overall (2-3 GPAC) with two matches remaining in the regular season.
In her first collegiate season, the Bogotá, Colombia, native Molano has established herself as one of the top players in all of the GPAC. Now 12-5 this season in singles (3-1 GPAC), Molano bounced back from a first-set defeat and knocked off Midland’s Ari Lumanog (reigning GPAC Player of the Year), 1-6, 6-0, 6-2, while ensuring the Bulldogs of one team point. In doubles, Molano teamed up with Gabrielle Heiser for a 7-5 triumph at the No. 3 spot. The Warriors managed to pick up the doubles team point via wins at the Nos. 1 and 2 positions (held down by Tessa Blough and Alana Lopez Pagan and Ella Dean and Tara Ferrel in the Concordia lineup).
Midland won each of the singles 2 through 6 matches in two sets. The Bulldogs entered the following competitors into singles play: Blough at No. 2, Lopez Pagan at No. 3, Dean at No. 4, Ferrel at No. 5 and Brooke Hosick at No. 6. From a score perspective, the most competitive match of those clashes took place at No. 4, where Dean was tripped up, 6-4, 6-1.
A national qualifier last season, the Warriors (13-2, 4-0 GPAC) own an 11-match conference win streak dating back to 2022. Midland is currently receiving votes in the NAIA national poll. So far in 2023, the Warriors have beaten each of their four conference opponents by scores of either 6-1 or 7-0.
Next week will be the final one for the 2022-23 regular season. The Bulldogs are slated to play at College of Saint Mary (3-6, 1-3 GPAC) on Wednesday and before heading to Northwestern (7-8, 2-2 GPAC) for the regular season finale next Saturday (April 22). At stake will be a chance to finish above .500 in GPAC play and improve positioning for the conference tournament.