Women’s Tennis loses rivalry matchup 5-2 in windy afternoon in Seward
Photo description: CUNE freshman Alana Lopez Pagan prepares to return the ball across the net
Photo credit: Kayla Korb
by Darien Semedo
The Concordia Bulldog women’s tennis team lost 5-2 against rival Doane University on Tuesday as cold winds blew through Seward.
The Bulldogs came in at 8-6 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference, looking to get above .500 in conference play. But the team dropped four of six singles games, along with two of three doubles games, putting them at 8-7 and 1-2 GPAC conference rankings.
Mariana Molano led the Bulldogs in singles matches, finishing 6-4 and 6-3. Molano was followed by Tessa Blough, Alana Lopez Pagan, Ella Dean, Tara Ferrel and Brooke Hosick in the singles match. Only Blough was able to pull away with a hard-fought victory, winning a 3-set match 6-2, 4-6 and 6-2.
The wind proved to be bothersome, and players had to adjust their swings based on the side of the court where they played. The wind led to many serves and balls carrying out of the back of the court.
For the doubles games, Molano and Gabrielle Heiser took control quickly, winning 6-2. In the final doubles contest, Lopez Pagan and Ferrel fought hard but lost 7-6 in tiebreaker. The pair’s overall play and communication was fluid throughout the game, but adjustments to the wind proved to be difficult.
The Bulldogs will get the Easter weekend off before hosting at Grand View University on April 12. The last meeting between the two teams resulted in a 7-0 defeat, so the Bulldogs will be gunning for some revenge.
