May 2, 2011 - Fresh off their best regular-season in the five-year history of the Northern Athletics Conference, the Concordia Cougars were not about to have their momentum slowed this afternoon. The Cougars defeated Aurora University for the second time in five days by a 9-0 score. Third-seed Concordia's win in the first round of the NAC team tournament sends them to a semifinal date this Friday with the second-seed Milwaukee School of Engineering.

 

Today's match saw a few closer matches than last Thursday's meeting in Aurora. Alex Tarullo (Berwyn, IL/Morton West) and Brett Wilder engaged in the closest contest of the day in third singles. Wilder took the first set 6-3 before Tarullo came back to force a third set with a 6-4 win. The two battled back and forth in the tiebreaking set before Tarullo finally came out on top by a 10-8 margin.

 

First singles also required a deciding third set. Jeff Smith (Moline, IL/home schooled) won the opening set 6-2 before Dan Micun evened the match with a 6-3 second set. Smith regained control of the match in the third set and posted a 10-4 victory.

 

In the remaining singles matches, Nathan Wingfield (Greendale, WI/Martin Luther) defeated Clay Trautman 6-2, 6-1 at second. Fourth singles went to Thien Van (Berwyn, IL/Morton West) with a 6-3, 6-4 win over John Dudley. At fifth, Tim Staffeld (Hobart, IN/H.S.) topped Michael Hohm 6-0, 6-1. Vince Termini (Addison, IL/Addison Trail) completed the Cougars' sweep with a 6-4, 6-1 victory at sixth over Juan Padilla.

 

In doubles play, the battle at first flight produced another squeaker, but Concordia's team of Van and Wingfield prevailed 9-7 over Aurora's Micun and Wilder. The other two matches were more one-sided; the team of Smith and Tarullo won 8-1 at second over Trautman and Dudley, and the third team of Staffeld and Termini blanked Andy Patton and Zach Davis 8-0.

 

Concordia's record improved to 8-5 with the win.