SEWARD, Neb. – There are many new faces for a Concordia University Women’s Tennis program that has a first-year head coach and three freshmen in its singles lineup. Early season growth was on display on Saturday (Oct. 2) morning as the Bulldogs defeated NCAA Division III Wartburg College (Iowa), 5-2. Concordia rallied from a doubles deficit by taking five of six singles matches from the Knights.
This was Head Coach Cam Long’s official home debut with the Bulldogs. It also marked his first dual win as a collegiate head coach.
“This was a good first dual to get under our belts,” Long said. “Of the five players who saw action, three were freshmen so it was good experience for them. I’m rally happy with our growth thus far. We’re a much better team now than at the start of the fall. This team has a lot of potential and it’s exciting to see that upward trend.”
As far as returners go, Concordia does bring back the talented Sofia Morales, a native of Bogotá, Colombia. Morales got the nod at the No. 1 singles and doubles spots. She dominated in singles, winning by a 6-1, 6-0, decision over Alyssa Guse. In a show of the team’s depth, Tara Ferrel (No. 2), Tessa Blough (No. 3), Kylie Freudenburg (No. 5) and Julia Phillips (No. 6) also claimed singles victories. Blough clinched the team victory when her 6-2, 6-3, triumph went final.
There were only two doubles matches that were contested on Saturday. Morales paired up with Blough at No. 1. The duo fell by a 6-4 score. At No. 2, Ferrel and Brooke Hosick were edged by that same score.
The Bulldogs are coming off a 2020-21 season that saw them share the GPAC regular season title. Concordia went 10-7 overall last season. Meanwhile, Wartburg went 15-8 last season. The Knights are members of the American Rivers Conference.
The fall season began with three tournaments for the Bulldogs. They will close the fall portion of the schedule next Saturday by hosting NCAA Division II William Jewell College (Mo.). The action is set to start at 3 p.m. CT from the Bulldog Tennis Courts. Concordia topped William Jewell, 5-2, last season.