Six-Match Road Trip Comes To An End

DULUTH, Minn. (3/06/16)—It's been a long, hard six-match road trip for the Cobbers. Concordia opened the season by beating Hamline at home but have lost six straight including a 7-2 defeat at St. Scholastica on Sunday.

Concordia started the season by beating Hamline 6-3 at home on Feb. 6. In the past month the Cobbers have dropped matches at Bethel, St. John's, St. Cloud St., Gustavus, St. Thomas and now St. Scholastica.

Not only were all six of those matches on the road but four came against teams with winning records who are a combined  25-10 on the year.

On Sunday the Cobbers went toe-to-toe with the Saints in a match that could have gone either way. Two of the three doubles bouts were decided by three games or less and three singles matches went to the super-set tie-breaker.

Concordia trailed 2-1 after doubles play thanks to an 8-5 win at No.3 doubles from Jesse Schneeberger and Austin Storm. The win was the first of the year for the tandem.

Junior Matthew Engum picked up the victory in singles play for Concordia. Engum, the older brother of Cobber soccer standout Christian Engum, rallied from a tough loss in the tie-breaker in the opening set to beat his opponent at No.5 singles in the super-set tie-breaker. Engum lost 7-6 (7-3) in the first set but then righted the ship to cruise to a 6-2 victory in the second. He then used that momentum to roll to a 10-3 win in the super-set tie-breaker.

The win was Engum's first collegiate singles victory.

The two other swing matches that were decided in the super-set came at No.3 and No.4 singles.

Like Engum, senior Zach Zitur lost the opening set but then rebounded to take the win in the second. Zitur fell 6-2 but then returned the favor by winning 6-3 in the second. The super-set tie-breaker went into extra points before the St. Scholastica player strung together two straight points to win 11-9.

Schneeberger followed the same story line as Engum and Zitur by starting slow then gaining momentum in the middle of the match at No.4 singles. Schneeberger lost 6-1 in the opener but then found his game and won 6-3 in the second. He then dropped a 10-2 decision in the decisive super-set tie-breaker.
  
WHAT'S NEXT
Concordia will return to the friendly confines of Courts Plus in Fargo when they host conference opponent St. Olaf on Saturday, Mar. 12 at 5 p.m. The Cobbers are 1-0 at Courts Plus this season as they beat Hamline in the season opener.   

MATCH RESULTS
St. Scholastica 7, Concordia-Moorhead 2
Mar 06, 2016 at Duluth, Minn. (Arrowhead Tennis Center)

Singles competition
1. Josh Stainer (CSS) def. Isaac Toivonen (CC) 6-3, 6-3
2. Makar Grytsevych (CSS) def. David Schneck (CC) 6-2, 6-4
3. Logan Engelstad (CSS) def. Zach Zitur (CC) 2-6, 6-3, 11-9
4. Mike Fontana (CSS) def. Jesse Schneeberger (CC) 1-6, 6-3, 10-2
5. Matthew Engum (CC) def. Bryce Gadke (CSS) 6-7 (3-7), 6-2, 10-3
6. Jordan Lindholm (CSS) def. Austin Storm (CC) 6-3, 6-3

Doubles competition
1. Josh Stainer/Logan Engelstad (CSS) def. Isaac Toivonen/David Schneck (CC) 8-1
2. Bryce Gadke/Jordan Lindholm (CSS) def. Zach Zitur/Matthew Engum (CC) 8-6
3. Jesse Schneeberger/Austin Storm (CC) def. Mike Fontana/Trace Combs (CSS) 8-5