RICHMOND, Ky. (April 3, 2025) – The No. 72 University of North Alabama men's tennis team hits the road this weekend, concluding its conference away slate with bouts against the EKU Colonels and Queens Royals.

The Lions head to both Richmond, Ky. and Charlotte, N.C. for the road duals, embarking on their lone season matchups against the Colonels and Royals. With the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament over two weeks away, UNA looks to continue building momentum with the postseason drawing near. North Alabama also looks to hold strong at the top of the conference with the Lions in sole possession of first place and sporting an eight-dual win streak.

UNA is set to face EKU on Friday, April 4, matching up against Queens to conclude the weekend on Sunday, April 6. Both duals serve as doubleheaders with UNA Women's Tennis, who open against the Colonels and Royals at 9 a.m.

First serve against EKU is set for 1 p.m., while the dual against Queens is slated to begin at 10 a.m. Live stats will be available courtesy of StatBroadcast, and the dual against the Colonels will be streamed on ESPN+.

Full results and a recap will be posted on RoarLions.com following each dual, but fans can also follow along on the UNA Tennis social media pages.



DUAL 1 INFO
Matchup: North Alabama at EKU
Date: Friday, April 4
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: Richmond, Ky.
Venue: Greg Adams Tennis Center/Tom Higgins Outdoor Courts
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Watch: ESPN+
Social Media: @UNATennis


DUAL 2 INFO
Matchup: North Alabama at Queens
Date: Sunday, April 6
Time: 10 a.m.
Location: Charlotte, N.C.
Venue: Howard Levine Tennis Center
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
Social Media: @UNATennis



NOTES

LAST TIME OUT: North Alabama extended its win streak to seven and eight with victories last time out against No. 66 Stetson and FGCU. The Lions had a dominant outing against the Hatters, taking the doubles point en route to four singles wins in a 5-2 triumph. Playing to clinch against the Eagles, UNA rebounded from dropping the doubles point to secure four-straight singles victories in a 4-1 win.

SCOUTING THE LIONS: North Alabama enters the weekend at 14-3 on the season while 5-0 in the ASUN. In the midst of eight-straight wins, the Lions also remains undefeated in home duals at 8-0. The upcoming road trip also finds UNA looking for their seventh and eighth away victories to conclude the regular season. North Alabama is winning doubles matches at a 60 percent rate (24-16), increasing to 72 percent (59-23) in singles play. Senior Nazar Fedoryshyn and sophomore Birtan Duran hold the top spot in doubles wins both securing nine on the season. They have a 9-2 record as a doubles pair, also leading the team. Three Lions have over 10 singles victories in Duran (11-5 season record), sophomore Alberto Altur (10-1) and freshman Satoru Nakajima (10-2). Nakajima and Duran also sport a 7-2 record in their last 10 matches.

TICKET PUNCHED: The postseason is on the horizon for the Lions, who became the first team to clinch a place in the 2025 ASUN Tournament. North Alabama's 2-0 week against Stetson and FGCU secured its spot in the championship, also moving solely into first place atop the conference standings.

BACK AMONG THE BEST: The Lions made their return to the International Tennis Association rankings on April 1, with North Alabama securing the No. 72 spot in the latest national rankings. This marks the second time this season UNA has been ranked, earning its first ever in program history on Feb. 25 at No. 74.

LOCKED IN LACHLAN: Junior Lachlan Brain was named the Atlantic Sun Conference Men's Tennis Player of the Week by the league office on Wednesday, April 2. Brain earned his first ASUN weekly honor of the season after going 3-0 across singles and doubles against Stetson and FGCU. His two single wins and one doubles victory helped propel UNA to a 2-0 weekend while helping the Lions earn a No. 72 national ranking in the latest International Tennis Association polls.

SCOUTING EKU: The Colonels are 9-15 on the season, sporting a 2-4 record in the ASUN. The last outing for EKU resulted in a 1-1 weekend against Austin Peay and Bellarmine, taking a 4-3 result against the Governors. The Colonels were picked to finish fifth in the 2025 Preseason Coaches Poll, also receiving one first place vote. EKU wins doubles at a 46.2 percent rate (24-28) and singles at 43.4 percent (53-69). Nuno Pinheiro leads the team with 13 singles victories, also leading in doubles with 10. Pinheiro and teammate Fernando Bulnes have the team lead with a 6-3 record as a pair. The Colonels' head coach is Adam Cohen.

SERIES HISTORY: North Alabama and EKU play in the third all-time meeting of the series. The Lions lead the series, 2-0, taking the last matchup in a 5-2 victory on March 28, 2024. UNA also won the first initial dual in 1999, 6-3.

SCOUTING QUEENS: The Royals enter the weekend with a 5-14 overall record while 0-6 in the ASUN. Queens looks to break a five-dual skid this weekend, also facing Lipscomb to open the weekend on April 4. The Royals secured the eighth spot in the conference's Preseason Coaches Poll. On the season, the team wins singles at a 38.3 percent rate (41-66) with a 38.8 percent win percentage (19-30) in doubles. Lukas Gosselin sports a team-leading seven wins in doubles while Laurenz Blickwede leads with 12 singles victories. Queens is led by Interim Head Coach Alex Leatu.

SERIES HISTORY: The dual marks the fifth all-time meeting in the series history with the Lions leading, 4-0. North Alabama won the last matchup on March 30, 2024, defeating the Royals at home, 5-2.

For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.