WAVERLY, Iowa (April 25, 2023) – The upset just wasn't meant to be on Tuesday afternoon for the Loras College men's tennis team as it fell 5-3 to Wartburg College in the quarterfinal round of the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) Tournament.
The Duhawks (12-8) led 2-1 after doubles play but secured only one singles victory in the five matches that finished as the Knights (13-19) completed the comeback and advanced to the A-R-C Semifinal round on Thursday at top-seeded Luther College.
In Tuesday's doubles action, the Duhawks nabbed wins at Nos. 1 and 2 as the top pairing of senior
Kevin Blomquist and junior
Thomas Kampmier pulled away for an 8-3 win. At twos, freshman
Gage Becker and senior
Konnor Barth played a tighter match, but prevailed 8-6.
Blomquist faced off with Wartburg's Lucas Hoffmann, who was also part of the Knights' No. 1 doubles pairing, in singles action in one of the more competitive matches of the day. The Duhawk senior won both sets by 7-5 margins to narrowly escape with the third Duhawk victory of the day.
With one point from doubles action, the Knights earned singles wins at Nos. 2, 4, 5 and 6 to clinch the match. Sophomore
Kareem Kassas did all he could at No. 5 singles, but Wartburg's Jeff Miller took the three-setter 6-1, 2-6, 6-0 for the clinch. Becker's No. 3 singles match was also headed to a third set, but it went unfinished after the clinch.