A Tight Conference Battle At Home
Concordia had a tight MIAC battle with St. Olaf but wound up losing 7-2.
FARGO, N.D. (3/12/16)—The scores keep getting closer and the matches keep getting tighter. Concordia returned home for the first time in a month and lost 7-2 to St. Olaf.
The Cobbers had four singles matches go to the super-set tie-breaker and lost by a pair of games at No.2 doubles as they dropped their seventh straight match. Concordia is now 1-7 in all matches this season and 1-5 in conference play.
The loss is the first of the year at home for CC who fell behind 3-0 after the three doubles matches.
The closest dubs bout came at No.2 where Matthew Engum and Zach Zitur rallied from a 7-3 deficit and got to within a single game at 7-6 but then dropped the next game and lost 8-6.
Engum would get his redemption in singles play by winning 10-7 in the super-set tiebreaker at No.5 singles. Engum, still recovering from the tough doubles loss, dropped the opening set 7-5. He then returned the favor by winning 7-5 in the second set. Engum was able to outlast his opponent 10-7 in the tie-breaker.
Engum has now won two straight matches with both coming in the super-set tie-breaker.
Austin Storm had a milestone win at No.6 singles. He recorded the first singles win of his collegiate career when he won in the super-set tie-breaker. Like Engum, dropped the first set in the tie-breaker but then ground out a 7-5 win in the second set. Storm would win the tough points in the super-set tie-breaker to win 10-8 and get the first victory of his college career.
Concordia had two other singles matches go to the super-set tie-breaker.
Cobber No.1 singles player Isaac Toivonen lost the first set 6-2 but then regained his energy in the second set and started to pound winners. He collected a 6-3 victory but then fell down the stretch in the super-set tie-breaker and lost 10-7.
Zitur also lost in the final tie-breaker. He broke the mold of the other CC players by winning the first set 6-2. Zitur was close to finishing off the second set, and earning the win, in the second set but lost 7-5. He then dropped a 10-6 decision in the super-set tie-breaker.
WHAT'S NEXT
Concordia will have an away-home two-match set next weekend. The Cobbers will play a non-conference tilt at the University of North Dakota on Saturday, Mar. 19 and then return to Courts Plus in Fargo to host St. Mary's on Sunday, Mar. 20.
St. Olaf 7, Concordia-Moorhead 2
Mar 12, 2016 at Fargo, N.D. (Courts Plus)
Singles competition
1. Joey Kronzer (STO) def. Isaac Toivonen (CC) 6-2, 3-6, 10-7
2. Ben Carlson (STO) def. David Schneck (CC) 6-2, 6-1
3. Christian Beck (STO) def. Zach Zitur (CC) 2-6, 7-5, 10-6
4. Mike Schroeder (STO) def. Jesse Schneeberger (CC) 7-6 (7-4), 6-1
5. Matthew Engum (CC) def. Danny Hogan (STO) 5-7, 7-5, 10-7
6. Austin Storm (CC) def. Gus Fedje-Johnston (STO) 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 10-8
Doubles competition
1. Joey Kronzer/Christian Beck (STO) def. Isaac Toivonen/David Schneck (CC) 8-2
2. Ben Carlson/Danny Hogan (STO) def. Matthew Engum/Zach Zitur (CC) 8-6
3. Mike Schroeder/Keenan Gladd-Brown (STO) def. Jesse Schneeberger/Austin Storm (CC) 8-2