A Dramatic Season Opener
Concordia's season opener with St. Scholastica has set the stage for an exciting and successful 2017 season.
FARGO, N.D. (1/28/17)—If the season opener is a sign of things to come for Concordia then the 2017 season is going to be exciting, filled with drama and successful.
The Cobbers lost 5-4 to St. Scholastica in a match which came down to the very last singles bout of the day. Concordia was even in singles play against the Saints but dropped two tight doubles matches which proved to be the difference in the final team score.
Concordia won only one singles match last year against the Saints and lost 7-2 in Duluth.
The experienced Cobbers stepped up in singles play. Seniors Jesse Schneeberger and Matthew Engum and junior Isaac Toivonen all captured straight set victories in singles play.
Schneeberger won the first set 6-2 and was up 2-0 in the second in his bout at No.5 singles when his opponent was forced to retire. Schneeberger's win gave Concordia a 3-2 lead in the overall team match.
Engum wasted little time to tie the team score at 2-2 when he cruised to a 6-3, 6-0 win at No.6 singles.
Toivonen then gave the Cobbers a 4-2 lead with his 6-4, 7-6 win at No.1 singles. He battled through the tie-breaker in the second set and closed out with the 7-5 win.
St. Scholastica won both the matches at No.3 and No.4 singles. David Schneck and Erik Porter were done in by slow starts. Both CC players struggled in the opening set but then found their game and battled to close bouts in the second set.
The match came down to the No,2 singles bout where freshman David Youngs played one of the most exciting matches in recent history. Youngs narrowly lost 7-5 in the first set and then rallied to grab a 6-2 win in the second set. The super-set tie-breaker was played in front of both teams with the team score hanging in the balance.
Youngs was never able to get on track in the super-set tie-breaker and lost 10-3 but his play at No.2 singles proved he has a bright future for the Cobbers.
Schneck and Porter earned the lone doubles win for Concordia as they claimed a 9-7 victory at No.2 doubles.
WHAT'S NEXT: Concordia will head south next weekend to take on Augustana (S.D.) in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Division II Vikings are 1-0 on the year after beating Morningside in the fall.
St. Scholastica 5, Concordia-Moorhead 4
Jan 28, 2017 at Fargo, N.D. (Courts Plus)
Singles competition
1. Isaac Toivonen (CC) def. Serhii Tykhonenko (CSS) 6-4, 7-6 (7-5)
2. Ernesto Telles (CSS) def. David Youngs (CC) 7-5, 2-6, 10-3
3. Brendan Boudreau (CSS) def. David Schneck (CC) 6-0, 6-4
4. Logan Engelstad (CSS) def. Erik Porter (CC) 6-1, 7-6 (7-1)
5. Jesse Schneeberger (CC) def. Bryce Gadke (CSS) 6-2, 2-0, retired
6. Matthew Engum (CC) def. Jason Kent (CSS) 6-3, 6-0
Doubles competition
1. Serhii Tykhonenko/Logan Engelstad (CSS) def. Isaac Toivonen/David Youngs (CC) 8-4
2. David Schneck/Erik Porter (CC) def. Ernesto Telles/Bryce Gadke (CSS) 9-7
3. Brendan Boudreau/Trace Combs (CSS) def. Matthew Engum/Jared Saue (CC) 8-5