Sunday, March 30
Omaha, Neb.
9:00 a.m.
Creighton University
3
vs
4
North Dakota
Photo by: Ally Seevers
Men’s Tennis Comeback Falls Short in Senior Day Setback to North Dakota
3/30/2025 2:03:00 PM | Men's Tennis
OMAHA, Neb. -- A back-and-forth affair saw the Creighton men's tennis team battle from behind before coming up short in a 4-3 Senior Day setback to North Dakota on Sunday morning at the Hanscom Tennis Center.
The loss dropped the Bluejays to 12-7 on the year, while the Fighting Hawks improved to 17-3 overall with their 13thstraight victory.
Creighton took a 1-0 advantage in the match, clinching the doubles point for the 16th time this with victories at the No. 1 and No. 2 doubles positions. Senior Ethan Neil and freshman Rocky McKenzie opened the match with a 6-3 win on the top doubles court, before North Dakota's Jerall Yasin and Christo Alex claimed a 6-4 win on the no. 3 doubles court to even doubles play at 1-1.
Junior's Zachary Kuo and Kirtan Patel would then clinch the first point of the match with a 6-4 victory of their own on the No. 2 doubles court to give the Bluejays a 1-0 lead.
North Dakota responded quickly in singles play, building a 3-1 lead with straight set wins on the No. 1 singles court from Leandro Zgraggen (7-5, 6-2), the No. 3 court from Ange-Kevin Koua (7-5, 6-3) and at the No. 6 singles spot from Yasin (6-2, 6-4).
The Bluejays, however, did not go down quietly as McKenzie battled out a 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 straight sets win on the No. 2 singles court to cut the deficit to 3-2. McKenzie's win was his sixth consecutive singles win, as he improved to 13-4 in singles play this spring.
Neil would then level the contest at 3-3 with a 6-1, 4-6, 6-1 three-set win on the No. 5 singles court, before North Dakota's Ethan Terry clinched the overall dual with a 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 (7-3) three-set tie-breaking win over Kuo at the No. 4 singles spot.
The Bluejays will be back in action on Friday, April 4 at 1 p.m. as they travel to Wichita, Kan. to battle former Missouri Valley Conference rival Wichita State.
The loss dropped the Bluejays to 12-7 on the year, while the Fighting Hawks improved to 17-3 overall with their 13thstraight victory.
Creighton took a 1-0 advantage in the match, clinching the doubles point for the 16th time this with victories at the No. 1 and No. 2 doubles positions. Senior Ethan Neil and freshman Rocky McKenzie opened the match with a 6-3 win on the top doubles court, before North Dakota's Jerall Yasin and Christo Alex claimed a 6-4 win on the no. 3 doubles court to even doubles play at 1-1.
Junior's Zachary Kuo and Kirtan Patel would then clinch the first point of the match with a 6-4 victory of their own on the No. 2 doubles court to give the Bluejays a 1-0 lead.
North Dakota responded quickly in singles play, building a 3-1 lead with straight set wins on the No. 1 singles court from Leandro Zgraggen (7-5, 6-2), the No. 3 court from Ange-Kevin Koua (7-5, 6-3) and at the No. 6 singles spot from Yasin (6-2, 6-4).
The Bluejays, however, did not go down quietly as McKenzie battled out a 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 straight sets win on the No. 2 singles court to cut the deficit to 3-2. McKenzie's win was his sixth consecutive singles win, as he improved to 13-4 in singles play this spring.
Neil would then level the contest at 3-3 with a 6-1, 4-6, 6-1 three-set win on the No. 5 singles court, before North Dakota's Ethan Terry clinched the overall dual with a 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 (7-3) three-set tie-breaking win over Kuo at the No. 4 singles spot.
The Bluejays will be back in action on Friday, April 4 at 1 p.m. as they travel to Wichita, Kan. to battle former Missouri Valley Conference rival Wichita State.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
1,3,2
#1 Singles Match
12
Leandro Zgraggen / 0 [UND]
76
52
#2 Singles Match
12
Jerall Yasin / 0 [UND]
62
76
#3 Singles Match
12
Ange-Kevin Koua / 0 [UND]
76
53
#4 Singles Match
123
Ethan Terry / 0 [UND]
617
266
#5 Singles Match
123
Christos Alex / 0 [UND]
161
646
#6 Singles Match
12
Federico Fiorda / 0 [UND]
66
24
Order of Finish:
1,3,6,2,5,4
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
Creighton Men's Tennis Final Point and Celebration vs. Xavier, 4/19/25
Saturday, April 19
Creighton Men's Tennis Postgame vs. North Dakota, 3/30/25
Sunday, March 30
Creighton Women's Tennis Postgame vs. North Dakota, 3/29/25
Sunday, March 30
Crieghton Men's Tennis Postmatch vs. Butler, 2/16/25
Sunday, February 16
