HATTIESBURG, Miss. (February 26, 2025) – The newly-ranked University of North Alabama men's tennis team is set for three-straight duals this weekend, starting Thursday, Feb. 27 against Southern Miss, New Orleans and No. 64 Ole Miss.
No. 74 North Alabama readies for three consecutive days of action, carrying momentum from its last two wins to Mississippi and Louisiana. UNA looks for a strong start against the Golden Eagles before concluding with weekend matchups against the Privateers and Rebels.
The dual against Ole Miss will also see the newly-ranked Lions face its first ranked opponent of the season.
UNA opens the week on Thursday against Southern Miss, with first serve set for 2 p.m. North Alabama faces New Orleans next on Friday, Feb 28 at 11 a.m. before capping the weekend Saturday, March 1 at Ole Miss.
The Rebels dual begins at 3 p.m. with live stats provided courtesy of StatBroadcast. The Ole Miss match will also be live streamed, courtesy of Ole Miss Athletics.
Full results and a recap will be posted on RoarLions.com following the action, but fans can also follow along on the UNA Tennis social media pages.
DUAL 1 INFO
Matchup: No. 74 North Alabama at Southern Miss
Date: Thursday, February 27
Time: 2 p.m.
Location: Hattiesburg, Miss.
Venue: Southern Miss Tennis Complex
Social Media: @UNATennis
DUAL 2 INFO
Matchup: No. 74 North Alabama at New Orleans
Date: Friday, February 28
Time: 11 a.m.
Location: New Orleans, La.
Venue: Privateer Tennis Center
Social Media: @UNATennis
DUAL 3 INFO
Matchup: No. 74 North Alabama at No. 64 Ole Miss
Date: Saturday, March 1
Time: 3 p.m.
Location: Oxford, Miss.
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
Watch: Ole Miss Athletics
Social Media: @UNATennis
NOTES
AMONG THE RANKS: The Lions made program history on Tuesday, Feb. 25, with North Alabama earning a No. 74 ranking in the latest polls from the International Tennis Association. It marked the first time in the program's Division I history that UNA was ranked in the polls.
SCOUTING THE LIONS: No. 74 North Alabama had a perfect 2-0 week in its last outing against Jackson State and Samford. The Lions swept the Tigers to open the week, following the dual with a 5-2 victory over the Samford Bulldogs. It marked the first time that UNA defeated the Bulldogs since the 1982 season. North Alabama had a strong display in singles for the two duals, with UNA claiming seven of the nine completed matches. The Lions also increased its team win percentage in singles to 61.3 percent with seven players securing two or more season victories.
SCOUTING SOUTHERN MISS: The Golden Eagles enter the contest at 1-5 on the year, facing the Lions in their first action since Feb. 16. Southern Miss earned its first win in its last outing, defeating Nicholls State at home, 5-2. Sophomore Olle Noltorp has the team high with three singles wins, with four Golden Eagles tied with one doubles win (Ritabrata Sarkar, Ricards Spaks, Charlie Brady and Pasawee Reansuwong). Southern Miss is coached by Zubin Engineer.
SERIES HISTORY: This marks the second all-time meeting and first matchup since the 1988 season. North Alabama looks to gain the first win over the Golden Eagles, falling in the lone meeting, 5-0.
SCOUTING NEW ORLEANS: The Privateers face North Alabama at home in their second dual of the week. Coming into the matchup, New Orleans is 4-2 on the season with the Privateers winning their last outing against Alcorn State, 6-1. The team have dominated singles play so far on the season, winning matches at a 70.8 percent rate. Seven Privateers have two or more wins in singles, led by three each from New Orleans' Sep de Visser and Marc Mail. In doubles, the Privateers win at a 53.3 percent rate with Joseph Townes and Jay Temming leading with four respective wins. The Privateers are coached by Burzis Kanga.
SERIES HISTORY: The third all-time meeting, New Orleans leads the series against North Alabama, 2-0. The teams met previously in 2000 and most recently in 2023.
SCOUTING OLE MISS: Ole Miss ends the week against the Lions, facing its third-straight ranked opponent in as many duals. The Rebels are 8-3 on the year while 0-2 in the Southeastern Conference, dropping their last outing versus No. 4 Texas, 6-1. Ole Miss will face No. 67 LSU prior to the matchup against UNA. The Rebels win singles matches at a 62.6 percent rate and doubles at 54.3 percent, led in total wins by freshman Matthieu Chambonniere (30 overall/15 each in singles and doubles). Toby Hansson is the head coach for the Rebels.
SERIES HISTORY: Ole Miss and North Alabama meet in the ninth all-time meeting, with UNA going for its first win against the Rebels. Seven of the eight previous matchups came in the Lions' Division I era, with the lone matchup in Division II coming in 1982.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
