PELLA — With a 7-2 win over Wartburg College Saturday afternoon, the Central College men's tennis team secured a third-place finish in the American Rivers Conference.
           
Central (11-10, 6-2 conference) lost earlier in the day to the league runners-up from Coe College 5-1.
           
The Dutch fell in two out of three doubles matches against the Knights but rallied to win all six singles matches. Alejo Marcon (freshman, Knoxville, Pella Christian HS) and AJ Wilkins (sophomore, Grinnell) won 8-7 at No. 3 doubles.
           
"It wasn't great doubles, it was just okay," Ferrell said. "I told the team they were playing scared. We've trained too hard to be scared of anybody. We really settled down and rolled through the singles matches.
           
Trey Melvin (senior, Lawrence, Kan., Free State HS) got it started with a 6-2, 6-2 at No. 1 singles. Nick Scott (junior, Fort Benton, Mont., Great Falls Central Catholic HS) won 6-4, 6-4 at No. 2 and Wilkins won 6-2, 6-2 in the first round of matches on Central's three indoor courts.
           
Caleb Hamerlinck (senior, Huxley, Ballard HS) won 6-3, 6-4 at No. 3, Ayden Fletcher (sophomore, Waukee) won 6-4, 6-4 at No. 6 and Matthew Den Adel (senior, Ankeny, Centennial HS) won 6-4, 6-2 at No. 6.
           
Against the Kohawks in the morning, two of the three doubles matches went into tie-breakers but Central came up short both times. The final four singles matches were not played to account for Coe's travel time to Des Moines to face Simpson.

"Coe played better than we did," Ferrell said. "You can never underestimate a team that is as well coached as they are."
           
Scott was the only Central player to win against Coe, taking a 6-4, 6-3 win at No. 2
           
"He's had a great season," Ferrell said. "He's played at a high level all season. To cap off the regular season like this is great."
 
Central will be the No. 3 seed in next week's American Rivers Conference tournament. They will host a quarterfinal match Tuesday afternoon against either Loras College or Nebraska Wesleyan University.
           
"We're going to celebrate this one first," Ferrell said. "We're excited to be hosting and hopefully the weather will be nice enough for us to be outside."