KWU's Ware reaches program’s first ITA Finals

It was a first for the Kansas Wesleyan Men's Tennis program. Bryce Ware reached the ITA Regional Finals on Tuesday afternoon, becoming the first Coyote to ever accomplish the feat.

Ware was the No. 2 overall seed in the ITA NAIA Central West Tournament hosted by Kansas Wesleyan at Salina Central High School and Salina Tennis Center. Ware lived up to his ranking reaching the championship match.

The ITA Tournament was originally scheduled to be held Friday through Sunday, but forecast inclement weather forced the postponement of the tournament, making it a Sunday through Tuesday event.

Ware opened his tournament run with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Evan Maritz of Saint Mary. He then beat Arthur Nardy of McPherson 6-2, 6-4. He then faced another McPherson player in Oscar Brouwer, needing a third set tiebreak to win 4-6, 6-4, 10-5.

The win vaulted Ware into the quarterfinals, where he beat Pablo Olmedo of Texas Wesleyan, the 10 seed 6-4, 7-6. Ware then faced Zinovii Nahimiak from William Woods, the No. 3 seed in the tournament on Tuesday morning, and won 6-0, 6-0.

Ware then awaited the completion of the other semifinal between the overall No. 1 seed Vaclav Schneider of William Woods and Michael Beltran of McPherson. Schneider came away with the win, and would meet Ware in the final.

The match was everything that a 1-vs-2 match should be. Ware would win the first set 7-5, but dropped the second set 6-2 forcing a third. In the third set, Schneider took a 4-0 lead, but battled back winning the next four games to tie it at 4-4. Schneider won the next game to make it 5-4, but Ware won the next to tie it 5-5. Schneider would win the next two games to claim the Regional Championship.

In other KWU available results, Alex Sherer dropped his opening round match against Morningside's Gustav Sjoberg 6-3, 0-6, 15-17 in a marathon third set tiebreaker. Raul Davalos-Gavino also dropped his opening round match to Albert Modol of Southwestern 6-4, 7-5.