Men's Tennis | 5/18/2023 2:10:00 PM
MOBILE, Ala. — After rain washed out the McPherson College Bulldogs following the doubles competition the day before, the Bulldogs fell in a hard-fought match to the No. 4-seeded Tennessee Wesleyan University Bulldogs 4-0 at the Mobile Tennis Center in Mobile, Ala. The loss snaps the Bulldogs' 14-game winning streak.
"I am so proud of these guys," head coach Keiran President said. "It was a hard-fought match against a very tough opponent."
Tennessee Wesleyan grabbed the doubles point just before the rain and lightning came through the area, with wins in #2 (6-2) and #3 (6-1).
When the singles competition began early in the morning, McPherson came out firing on all cylinders, with both Martin Millos and Michael Beltran winning their first sets. Beltran's opponent, the No. 1-ranked player in the NAIA, stormed back in the second set before Tennessee Wesleyan clinched. Arthur Nardy held a 5-0 lead in the first set before dropping the set 7-6.
Marcus Nardy fell 6-1, 6-2 in #2 singles, then Arthur Nardy dropped his second set 6-0. Zoilo Rios finished it off for Tennessee Wesleyan with a 7-5, 7-5 win over Oscar Brouwer.
"We played a very tough schedule, with a lot of ranked opponents, and it definitely helped us out at nationals," President said. "We will use this as a stepping stone for next season, cause we are only losing one player from this team."
Full Results
Doubles
1. Cortes/Volpi (TWU) vs. Beltran/Millos (MC) — 4-3, UNF
2. Ortiz/Busch (TWU) def. Murphy/Brouwer (MC) — 6-2
3. Rios/Fernandez (TWU) def. Marcano/Botlan (MC) — 6-1
Singles
1. Gabriel Ortiz (TWU) vs. Michael Beltran (MC) — 5-7, 6-1, 1-0, UNF
2. Nicolas Cortes (TWU) def. Marcus Nardy (MC) — 6-1, 6-2
3. Jesus Fernandez (TWU) vs. Martin Millos (MC) — 3-6, 6-2, 2-1 UNF
4. Zoilo Rios (TWU) def. Oscar Brouwer (MC) — 7-5, 7-5
5. Octavio Volpi (TWU) vs. Celien Botlan (MC) — 7-6 (4), 4-2
6. Ruben Busch (TWU) def. Arthur Nardy (MC) — 7-6 (3), 6-0
A very successful Bulldogs' season comes to a close with a 19-7 record and a perfect 11-0 mark in the KCAC. The Bulldogs picked up their eighth consecutive KCAC Tournament title and won a match in the NAIA National Tournament for the first time since 2018.
"I just want to say thank you to everyone that came out to support us this season," President said. "I also want to thank all the staff this season for their support. We will be back. Go Dogs!"
