Men's Tennis | 4/26/2019 11:16:00 PM
Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 Photo by Christie Betker
Topeka, Kan. – The McPherson College men's and women's tennis teams kept their dreams of a trip to the NAIA national tournament in Mobile, Alabama, alive with a win in the KCAC tournament semi-finals on Friday. The quarterfinal matches of the tournament were played earlier in the week at the home site of the higher seeded team, but the semi-finals and finals are being played at the Kossover Tennis Center in Topeka, Kan.
Both Bulldog teams were the no. 2 seed entering the tournament, and received a first round bye. In Friday's semi-final action, the women opened things up against the Ottawa University Braves at 9:00 am followed by the men's match against Kansas Wesleyan University at 2:00 pm. The Bulldog women and the Braves met a few weeks ago in Ottawa with the Bulldogs winning a very close match, 5-4.
In Friday's dual, the Bulldogs trailed the Braves 2-1 after doubles, forfeiting the no. 3 line, and falling at no. 2, 9-7. The lone doubles win for the Bulldogs came at no. 1 where
Brittany Zipf (Jr. Rockhampton, Australia) and
Erica Paradise (Fr. Bakersfield, Calif.) won 8-4.
The Braves took a 3-1 lead at the start of singles, with a forfeit from the Bulldogs at no. 6. To secure the dual, the Bulldogs would need to win four of the five matches on court.
Besa Bwalya (Jr. Hoisington, Kan.) got the Bulldgos started in singles, winning her match at no. 3, 6-0, 6-2. The Braves won at no. 5 to take a 4-2 lead and needed just one more point to upset the 2 seeded Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs knew what was at stake and they embraced the pressure. Zipf continued her perfect KCAC season, winning her match at no. 1, 6-1, 6-3, and got her team back to within a point of Ottawa 3-4. Moments later, the match was leveled at 4 when
Zoe Bouwmeester (Sr. Zutphen, Netherlands) won her match at no. 4, 6-3, 6-2. Knotted at 4, the dual would be decided at the no. 2 position. The Bulldogs had Paradise at no. 2. She dropped a close first set, 6-4, but leveled the match by winning the second set 6-3. The dual would come down to one final set, for a chance to play in the finals. The third set was on serve through the first seven games. In the eighth game, Paradise broke serve to go up 5-3 with a chance to serve it out. The moment was not too big for the freshman. She controlled her nerves and served out the match, winning the set 6-3, and giving her team a 5-4 win.
On Saturday, the Bulldogs will get a rematch with the Southwestern College Moundbuilders, who easily won their semi-final against Bethel College 5-0.
On the men's side, the Bulldogs took on the Kansas Wesleyan University Coyotes, who upset Bethany College in the quarterfinals on Monday afternoon. In the regular season dual a couple of weeks ago, the Bulldogs routed the Coyotes 7-2, winning all three doubles matches, and four of the six singles matches. On Friday, the Bulldogs led 2-1 after doubles winning at no. 2 and no. 3, but falling at no. 1. The no. 2 team of
Nicolas Wahl (Jr. Koenigstein, Germany) won 8-6 and the no. 3 team of Juan Jimenez (Sr. Pereira, Colombia) and
Jakob Komel (Fr. Ljubljana, Slovenia) won 8-2.
In singles the Bulldogs just needed three of six points to advance to the finals. Their third point came at no. 6 where Komel won in straight sets, 6-0, 6-4. Wahl picked up the fourth point at no. 4, with a 6-0, 6-1 win. The clincher came from
Jacob Turley (So. Milton Keynes, England), who won on the no. 1 line 6-1, 7-5 and the Bulldogs won the dual 5-1.
On Saturday, the Bulldogs will square off against Ottawa University, the no. 4 seed who upset the no. 1 seed, and regular season champs, Southwestern College 5-4. The Bulldogs won the regular season match up with the Braves 6-3.
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