RIVER FOREST, Ill. – The 2026 Concordia University Chicago (CUC) men's tennis season has ended. In his fifth season as Head Coach, Lenno Lasn guided the team to the Northern Athletic Collegiate Conference (NACC) Tournament in a season filled with relentlessness.
 
Words from Coach Lasn about the Season
"I really enjoyed this season," Coach Lasn noted. "This is the best the men's team have been so far. The boys worked super hard and nobody had any unexcused absences during the whole Spring season. They truly showed how much they cared about each other, what it meant to them to be on the team, and how much they love the sport. There were a couple close matches I wish had gone our way, but it was lots of fun and great group of young men to coach."
 
Season Recap
The Cougars played three early matches in the fall. On Sept. 21, CUC traveled to Iowa to face Cornell College in a double header. In match one, the Cougars came up just short, 4-3. Collin Dickey (Frisco, Texas) won a tough three-set battle at No. 1 singles, 4-6, 6-2, 10-6. Sam Smith (Munster, Ind.) also forced his match at No. 3 singles to three sets. After falling 7-6, 7-2 tiebreaker, in set one, Smith came back and dominated set two, 6-1. He then took set three 10-7 for the point. Reynaldo Leal (Weslaco, Texas) also won his singles match, taking it 6-0, 6-1 in the sixth position. Match two saw the Cougars fall 5-2. Despite Andres Villagran (El Paso, Texas) and Nathan Stringer (Milwaukee, Wis.) defeating their opponents 6-1 at No. 1 doubles, Cornell took the doubles point by winning the other two matches. Leal forced a three-set match at third singles, winning 5-7, 6-4, 10-8. August Barnes (Sodus, Mich.) also won his match at fifth singles, 6-2, 6-0. The final match of the fall was on Sept. 27 in Jacksonville, Ill., where the Cougars took on Illinois College, falling 7-0.
 
The team resumed competition at the beginning of February. The Cougars welcomed University of Dubuque to Illinois. Kevin Bullens (River Forest, Ill.) was able to seal victory at No. 4 singles, in a hard fought, three-set match (1-6, 6-3, 10-7). However, the Spartans were able to conquer and take the match 6-1. Two weeks later, the Cougars had a busy weekend in Wisconsin. On Feb. 21, CUC faced Ripon College and University of Wisconsin-Superior. The Cougars put up a fight against Ripon, falling 5-2. Villagran won at fifth singles (6-3, 6-0) and Barnes won at sixth singles (6-1, 6-0). However, the Cougars couldn't secure points against the Yellow Jackets and fell 7-0. The following day, CUC headed to Appleton, Wis. to battle Lawrence University. The Cougars showed grit, taking the doubles point. At No. 2 doubles, Barnes and Dickey defeated their opponents 6-2. At third doubles, Bullens and Kyle Pelzek (Hales Corners, Wis.) won 6-3. However, Lawrence swept the singles matches and defeated CUC, 6-1.
 
With spring break around the corner, the Cougars headed down to Florida for some more non-conference action. Over the three days, CUC faced St. John Fisher University, John Carroll University, and Trine University. Despite their best efforts, the Cougars fell 7-0 in all three matches in the Florida heat.
 
Back in Illinois, the NACC season kicked off on Mar. 27 against Edgewood. Once again, the duos of Barnes and Dickey (6-3) and Bullens and Pelzek (6-2), took down their opponents at second and third doubles, respectively. Heading into the singles matches, the Cougars were ready to fight. Barnes decidedly beat his opponent in two 6-2 sets at No. six singles. Unfortunately, the Eagles would steal the rest of the singles matches and take the match, 5-2.
 
Two days later, the Cougars secured their first victory of the season, 5-2, against Wisconsin Lutheran College (WLC). Villagran and Smith combined at No. 1 doubles to win 6-2. Bullens and Pelzek continued their strong partnership at No. 3 doubles and won 6-1, giving the Cougars a 1-0 lead heading into the singles matches. CUC dominated in the singles matches. Dickey won at first singles, 6-4, 6-2, while Bullens won at fifth singles, 6-0, 6-2. Smith and Barnes recorded the same victorious scoreline at fourth and sixth singles, respectively, 6-1, 6-2.
 
April began with a 7-0 loss to conference leader, Illinois Tech on April 4. The next two matches were a break from NACC play, as CUC took on Wheaton College and Olivet Nazarene University. While the Cougars would fall 7-0 and 5-2, respectively, the squad showed true grit. Against the Thunder, Bullens went to tiebreakers in both of his sets at No. 6 singles, falling 7-6 (7-0 tiebreaker) and 7-6 (7-3 tiebreaker). Against the Tigers, Bullens picked up one of CUC's points at No. 6 singles, defeating his opponent, 6-4, 6-1. The Cougars' other point was secured by Barnes, who won 6-1, 6-3 at No. 5 singles.
 
Conference play resumed on Apr. 11 against Concordia University Wisconsin (CUW) where the Cougars fell, 7-0. The following day, the Cougars hosted St. Norbert College (SNC) and suffered the same fate. The final match of the regular season took place in Glendale, Wis. against Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE). The Raiders took the match, 7-0, but with the earlier victory against WLC in the season, the Cougars secured their place in the NACC Tournament as the sixth seed. "Their hard work paid off," Coach Lasn said. "There were a few bumps in the road but ultimately, we did win against WLC, a very important victory, and we made the tournament. They're just a great team and I'm so proud of them."
 
On April 28, the No. 6 Cougars traveled up to Wisconsin to face the No. 3 Green Knights of SNC. The Cougars battled until the end, but ultimately fell 4-0, ending their season.
 
CUC finished the season with an overall record of 1-18 and 1-5 in conference play.
 
Season Highlights from Coach Lasn
"Beating WLC is one of the biggest highlights. Seeing it all come together for the team was amazing. It was also our first time ever going to Florida for spring break. We got so many more practices and matches in, and it was great for the team. I'd also say the team chemistry and camaraderie was excellent this year."
 
Graduating Seniors
The Cougars will see six athletes graduate at the end of the year.
 

• Kevin Bullens competed in 18 matches this season. He recorded a singles record of 3-15 with victories coming at fourth, fifth, and sixth singles. He also led the team in doubles wins, with a record of 6-10 and 2-3 in conference play.
• Joshua Gustafson competed in two matches this season. He played a doubles match against SNC and a singles match against MSOE.
• Reynaldo Leal competed in all 19 matches this season. He recorded a singles record of 2-17, with victories at third and sixth singles. He also competed in two doubles matches.
• Diego Loveshe competed in six matches this season. He competed in doubles five times and in singles once.
• Kyle Pelzek competed in 14 matches this season. He co-led the team with six doubles wins, with a final record of 6-8.
• Nathan Stringer competed in two matches this season. He won one doubles match and competed in two singles matches.

 
Impactful Returners
Despite losing a strong core of the team, the Cougars will have strong veterans to lead them next season. Smith registered two singles victories, and one doubles victory, having played in 16 matches this season. Dickey heads into his senior season having picked up the second most doubles wins (4) and two singles wins in 17 matches. Villagran will move into his sophomore season after recording two doubles victories and a singles victory in 16 matches.
 
Statistical Leaders
Singles Wins: August Barnes (5)
Doubles Wins: Kevin Bullens/Kyle Pelzek (6)
 
What's Next
All updates regarding CUC men's tennis, including rosters, schedules, and more can be found at cucougars.com. More content can be found on their social media, X @cuchicagotennis and Instagram @cuchicagotennis.