[Tennis] Tennis Teams Split Action with Bethel

Doane Tennis hosted Bethel (Kan.) on Wednesday afternoon in Crete in the first home match of 2022. The Tiger men posted a 4-3 victory over the Threshers while the women were defeated by a similar score, 4-3. The matches were the first between the two teams to be played in Crete since 2019 with the previous two scheduled matches canceled.

On the men's side, action opened with doubles play featuring a Top 10 regional battle at 1-doubles. Bethel's Michael Cech and Milan Bucek came in with a No. 5 ranking and faced Doane's No. 9 ranked team of Jorge Chevez (SR/Panama City, Panama) and Estaban Gutierrez. Bethel came out as the victor in a tight 6-3 win. The Threshers added a tie-break victory at 2-doubles and a 7-5 win at 3-doubles to earn the doubles team point.

In singles play, a Top 15 battle ensued at 1-singles as Chevez, ranked No. 8, took on No. 13 Cech. The match was decided in straight sets but was a close battle as Chevez won 7-5, 6-3. Bethel picked up a win at 2-singles with Doane winning at 3-singles as Jose Purizaca (FR/Lima, Peru) won 7-5, 6-4, to tie the match at 2-2.

The team score remained tied as the next two matches were split. Federico Infante (SO/Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) won 6-3, 6-4, at 4-singles while Bethel won at 5-singles. The final match on the court saw Sam Coy (SR/Lincoln, Neb.) take the first set, 6-3. In the second set, Bethel went in front but Coy answered and won 6-4 to give the men the victory.

For the women, Bethel took the doubles team point by winning all three doubles matches. At 1-doubles, the Threshers won in a tie-break, and 3-doubles was a 7-5 decision for Bethel.

In singles action, the 2, 4, and 5-singles matches were on the courts first and Doane swept the matches to take a 3-1 lead. Ava Macke (SR/Omaha, Neb.) won at 2-singles, 6-3, 6-3. Ashlyn Kucera (FR/Grand Island, Neb.) dropped the first set and was leading 3-1 in the second set when her opponent suffered an injury, ending the match and giving Kucera the win. Nina Ngo (JR/Crete, Neb.) went to a tie-break and won 6-1, 5-7, 1-0 (10-5).

Momentum swung in the final three matches, led by Bethel's Daniela Herrera at 1-singles, who is ranked No. 10 in the region. After a tight first set, she would walk away victorious 7-5, 6-2. Bethel added wins at 3 and 6-singles to pick up the team win.