Doubles Shine On Final Doubleheader Weekend
SARTELL, Minn. (4/7/24)---On the final doubleheader weekend of the year, it was the Cobbers' doubles teams that stepped into the spotlight. Concordia received three of its five team points in its matches with Macalester and St. John's.
The Cobbers opened the weekend by playing another highly-contested match at home that ended up with a 6-3 Macalester win. Concordia took to the road on Sunday and fell 7-2 at St. John's.
The Cobbers are now 3-13 in all matches and 1-7 against MIAC opponents in 2024.
Concordia 3, Macalester 6
The No.1 doubles team of Kai Pierce and Isaac Maddock got the Cobbers off to a great start against Macalester when they earned a win in the tie-breaker. Pierce and Maddock bolted out to a 3-0 lead and then edged the Scot's tandem down the stretch. They were able to come up with key points down the stretch to record a dramatic 9-7 win in the tie-breaker.
The other two doubles matches could have gone either way as both the No.2 pairing of Logan Sandberg and Kai Kringlie and the No.3 duo of Hunter Rice and Daniel Skrade fought to the very end. Sandberg and Kringlie got out to a 3-0 lead to start their match but then had several key rallies end with the Scots posting highlight reel shots to win 8-6.
Pierce and Maddock doubled up on their doubles victory by earning the two team points in singles play. Pierce needed to go to extra games in the opening set before finally coming up with a clutch break to win 7-5. He then put his opponent at No.2 singles away with a 6-2 victory.
Maddock used the energy from the doubles win to post a straight-set 6-3, 6-3 win at No.3 singles.
The Cobbers had two other singles matches go to the wire in sets before dropping the team points. Kringlie lost in the super-set at No.4 singles and Rice rallied from a 6-1 loss in the first set to push his opponent to extra games in the second set.
Concordia 2, St. John's 7
The Cobbers grabbed a 2-1 lead after the doubles play against the Johnnies but couldn't find their groove in the six singles bouts and lost 7-2.
Pierce and Maddock completed their unbeaten weekend with an 8-5 win at No.1 doubles. The victory was the third straight for the duo, who are now 5-2 on the year since being put together during the Cobbers' spring break training trip.
The other doubles win came from Sandberg and Kringlie at No.2 doubles. They rolled to an 8-3 win to give CC the lead heading into singles play. Sandberg and Kringlie have now won two of their last three doubles matches.
Concordia had two super-set decisions go against them in singles play. Sandberg played the closest singles bout of the weekend as he lost in extra points in the tie-breaker. He lost 6-3 in the opener at No.1 singles and rebounded to post a 6-2 win in set No.2. The two players proceeded to battle through a 22-point tie-breaker which went in favor of SJU with a 12-10 decision.
Rice had the other heartbreak loss. He lost in the tie-breaker in the first set 7-6 (5) and then bageled his opponent in the second set before falling 10-8 in the super-set.
UP NEXT: Concordia will close out the year by hosting Hamline on Friday, Apr. 19 at 11:30 a.m. at the Cobber tennis complex.