Picture by Jakob Komel
Hastings, Neb. – The McPherson College men's and women's tennis teams opened the season on Saturday with a pair of wins over Hastings College and Colorado College.
The Bulldogs squared off against the Broncos and Tigers indoors in Hastings, Nebraska. The first match of the day turned out being a good warmup match for both Bulldog teams as they cruised by the Broncos 7-0. Both earned the doubles point, by sweeping all three positions.
For the women, Brittany Zipf (Sr. Rockhampton, Australia) and Erica Paradise (So. Bakersfield, Calif.) won 6-3 at #1. At #2, Polina Khoroshevskaya (So. Kemerovo, Russia) and Kayla Ortiz (Fr. Brownsville, Texas) teamed up and won their match 6-4. Grace Maxey (Fr. Damascus, Ore.) and Vanessa Mundo (Fr. Houston, Texas) were on the number three line and rounded things out with a 6-1 victory.
The Bulldogs kept rolling in the singles portion of the dual. Zipf collected the first singles point, and put the Bulldogs up 2-0 in the match. The third point came from Khoroshevskaya at number 3 and the clinching point came from Paradise at number 4. With the match won, the rest of the singles matches were shortened to eight game pro sets. Below are the singles scores.
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The men were equally dominant in their match with Hastings. They took the doubles point, winning all three matches. At number one, Jacob Turley (Jr. Milton Keynes, England) and Martin Millos (Fr. Vigo, Spain) won their match 6-1, as did Julien Bodin (Jr. Cartagena, Spain) and Nicolas Wahl (Sr. Koenigstein, Germany) on the two line. At number three Jakob Komel (So. Ljubljana, Slovenia) and Nathan Monk (Fr. Nabiac, Australia) picked up a 6-2 victory.
The Bulldog men also cruised in their singles matches. The Broncos had a solid player at number one, and that was the only match that was even remotely tight. Bodin prevailed in that match, securing the win for the Bulldogs. Below are the scores from the singles matches.
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In the afternoon matches, the Bulldogs took on Colorado College, an NCAA division III school from Colorado Spring, Colorado. Both Bulldog teams once again won in convincing fashion, but the matches were much more competitive.Â
The Bulldog women defeated the Tigers 6-1, winning the doubles point and then taking five of the six singles matches. Freshman Kayla Ortiz earned the clinching point at number five. Below are the scores.
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The Bulldog men also got a much stiffer test from the Tigers in their second match. They picked up the doubles point, winning all three spots, then won four of the six singles matches for a 5-2 team victory. Like in the women's match, it was a freshman, Nathan Monk, who clinched the victory for the Bulldog men. Below are the scores  Â
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"Saturday was a long day, but a good day," said interim head coach Jeremy Nelson. "Hastings is a little bit down this year from where they normally are, but it was still great to get a win over them on their home courts." Nelson added, we knew we were going to get more of a test from Colorado College, and I was very pleased with the way we responded. They play with a lot of emotion, but we didn't get drawn in, instead we stayed true to who we are, and handled our business."
The Bulldogs will look to stay undefeated when they go back up to Nebraska on Saturday to play another quality NAIA program in the Midland University Warriors. Match time is set for 10 a.m. in Freemont, Nebraska.
