Division I tennis foe downs Central men
Central Dutch Athletics
OMAHA, NEBRASKA—Taking one final step out of Iowa Conference action, the Central College men’s tennis team faced its stiffest competition yet on Sunday afternoon in a 6-1 loss at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, an NCAA Division I program.
The loss drops the Dutch to 11-10 while the Mavericks moved to 10-16. They had beaten South Dakota State University 5-2 earlier on Sunday.
“We played really well,” coach Ryun Ferrell said. “They are good, quality program with a great coach. They’ve improved year after year. It was a lot of fun to play against such good competition.”
Ferrell’s assistant, Peter Greteman, was on the Maverick tennis roster from 2009-13. Greteman’s brother, Nathan, is currently a volunteer assistant with the team.
Playing under Division I rules, the Mavericks earned a single point from the three doubles matches after taking two of the three. Injuries forced Omaha to cede the No. 3 doubles match to Jimmy Cunningham (senior, Cedar Rapids, Kennedy HS) and Scott Wilson (senior, Urbandale), who earned the forfeit victory.
David Boschma (freshman, Olathe, Kan., Northwest HS) was the only Dutch player to earn a point, as he picked up a forfeit win at No. 6 singles.
Garret Taylor (senior, Creston) and William Isiminger (freshman, North Aurora, Ill., West Aurora HS) lost at No. 1 doubles while C.J. Cliff (senior, Decorah) and Jacob Logan (senior, Bettendorf) fell at No. 2.
Gaining valuable experience despite losses in the singles lineup were Taylor (No. 1), Logan (No. 2), Isiminger (No. 4), and Cliff (No. 5). Tom Palmer (senior, Pella) was the only new player entered into the singles lineup, taking on the No. 3 slot.
A trip to Dubuque on Saturday warrants a pair of matches in Iowa Conference play. Central will start day with a match at the University of Dubuque at 9 a.m. before moving over to Loras College for a 2 p.m. match.
“This is the go-time,” Ferrell said. “We just need to finish strong and stay focused. We’ve got a shot at doing some neat things this year and we’ll see if we can cash in.”
