OXFORD, Miss. (January 16, 2026) – The University of North Alabama men's tennis team battled in its season opener Friday afternoon against a tough SEC opponent, falling 7-0 against Ole Miss in Oxford, Miss.

Despite the loss, the Lions (0-1) competed throughout the match in the road opener. UNA claimed a match in doubles play but narrowly fell in the deciding third match. Ole Miss won all six singles matches, but North Alabama provided competitive contests.

Newcomers Benjamin Meyers and Alex Despoja provided the spark in doubles with their third-court victory over the Rebels' Matthieu Chambonniere and Benjamin Martin.

No. 11 Isac Stromberg and Kai Milburn of Ole Miss kicked the dual off with a 6-1 victory over UNA's No. 73 Alberto Altur and Izan Orgiles. After the equalizer from court three, court two came to a win-by-two scenario with the Rebels' Stefano D'Agostino and Pietro Pampanin fending off the Lions' Austin Miramontes and Lachlan Brain, 7-5.

The Rebels took three-straight singles matches to claim the home win.

Ole Miss' Martin defeated Miramontes, 6-1, 6-1, to open singles from court five. Stromberg doubled the Rebels' advantage in a court-six win over UNA's Meyers. No. 111 Altur fought against Pampanin from court three but fell to complete the win for Ole Miss, 6-3, 6-2.

The final three matches went in favor of the Rebels, but the final two were battles from Brain and Despoja.

Despoja won a set over Ole Miss' Vlado Jankanj, rebounding from defeat in the first. Jankanj won the first, 6-4, but Despoja responded with a 6-3 win in the second. The third was decided through a super tiebreak set, going to Jankanj in a 10-4 victory from court four.

UNA's Brain and Ole Miss' D'Agostino needed a tiebreak to decide set one from court one. The two played to 6-6 in the opener, with D'Agustino holding off Brain in tiebreak, 7-4, for a 7-6 set win. A second-straight competitive set resulted in a 5-5 tie between the two, but D'Agostino fought off Brain for the 7-5 win.


Ole Miss 7, North Alabama 0

Doubles

1. #11 Isac Stromberg/Kai Milburn (MISS) def. #73 Alberto Altur/Izan Orgiles (UNA), 6-1
2. Stefano D'Agostino/Pietro Pampanin (MISS) def. Lachlan Brain/Austin Miramontes (UNA), 7-5
3. Benjamin Meyers/Alex Despoja (UNA) def. Matthieu Chambonniere/Benjamin Martin (MISS), 6-4

Singles

1. Stefano D'Agostino (MISS) def. Lachlan Brain (UNA), 7(7)-6(4), 7-5
2. Matthieu Chambonniere (MISS) def. Izan Orgiles (UNA), 6-2, 6-3
3. Pietro Pampanin (MISS) def. #111 Alberto Altur (UNA), 6-3, 6-2
4. Vlado Jankanj (MISS) def. Alex Despoja (UNA), 6-4, 3-6, 1(10)-0(4)
5. Benjamin Martin (MISS) def. Austin Miramontes (UNA), 6-1, 6-1
6. Isac Stromberg (MISS) def. Benjamin Meyers (UNA), 6-2, 6-4


Match Notes

Ole Miss: 2-0
North Alabama: 0-1

Order of Finish – Doubles: (1,3,2)  Singles: (5,6,3,2,4,6)


COMING UP NEXT

UNA Men's Tennis readies for ITA Kickoff Weekend from Jan. 23-24 in Columbus, Ohio. Hosted by Ohio State, UNA preps for action against the Buckeyes along with Purdue and Old Dominion.

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