KANSAS CITY, MO.  — With a few players missing, the Central College men's tennis team was defeated 7-0 by William Jewell University (Mo.) on Monday afternoon.
           
The Cardinals (4-6) are an NCAA Division II squad and dropped Central to 3-5 on the season. Under Division II rules, the three doubles matches are worth one point in the team score.
           
"The guys competed and played hard," coach Ryun Ferrell said. "We did what I thought we would do against a very talented William Jewell team."
           
Josh Phillips (senior, Morton, Ill.), who typically plays No. 3 singles and No. 3 doubles for Central, is with the Dutch men's soccer team in England.
           
"It's a tall task against a Division II team when you're missing somebody like Josh who is a staple in the middle of your lineup," Ferrell said. "Ethan St. John (sophomore, Crystal Lake, Ill., Central HS) and Josh have had a stellar record together at No. 3 doubles."
           
The reconstructed doubles lineup saw Danny Anderson (junior, Boone) and David Boschma (sophomore, Olathe, Kan., Northwest HS) keep it close in a 6-4 loss at No. 1
           
"They are such an athletic duo," Ferrell said. "Danny is very active at the net and David can really set him up, which is what we were hoping would happen."
Central is headed to Topeka, Kansas for a 4 p.m. dual against Washburn University (Kan.) on Tuesday.

"We're playing these teams for a reason," Ferrell said. "We need to get a little more ready for the league. To play well against the best teams in our league, we need the ball to look as big as possible. To do that, we need to play some competition that's even better than the best teams in our league."