COLUMBUS, Ohio (January 22, 2026) – The University of North Alabama men's tennis team will begin its 2026 ITA Kickoff Weekend on Friday against No. 6 Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio.
The Lions continue the start to the season with a test against their first ranked opponent in the Buckeyes. UNA's bout vs. Ohio State opens the weekend with the winner facing either Purdue or Old Dominion in the championship match.
The match will take place at the Ty Tucker Tennis Center with first serve scheduled for 9 a.m. CT. Admission is free for all spectators over the weekend.
The match will also have live stats available courtesy of SIDEARM. Live streaming will be available for viewing courtesy of PlaySight.
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 INFO
Matchup: North Alabama at No. 6 Ohio State
Date: Friday, January 23
Time: 9 a.m. CT
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Venue: Ty Tucker Tennis Center
Live Stats: SIDEARM
Watch: Click Here
Social Media: @UNATennis
NOTES
ABOUT ITA KICKOFF WEEKEND: North Alabama will be competing along with some of the best teams in the NCAA. The Lions are one of 56 teams across 14 hosts sites in the event, and the winners of each site will advance to the ITA National Team Indoor Championship from Feb. 13-17. UNA was drafted as the fourth seed in the Columbus, Ohio bracket back on Jun. 13, 2025. Friday, Jan. 23 begins with the opening two matches before advancing to the championship on Jan. 24. The weekend will also have a consolation match later that evening to conclude the event.
SCOUTING THE LIONS: North Alabama fell in its opening-season bout vs. Ole Miss on Jan. 16, but the new faces proved a bright spot in the matchup. Junior Alex Despoja and freshman Benjamin Meyers earned their first win as Lions in a 6-4 doubles victory over the Rebels' Matthieu Chambonniere and Benjamin Martin. Sophomore Austin Miramontes was also solid with senior Lachlan Brain in a narrow 7-5 doubles defeat from court two. The newcomers and veterans for UNA look to build from the opening bout in preparation of the weekend's competition.
SCOUTING OHIO STATE: The Buckeyes enter the weekend with a 2-0 record on the season. Their last outing was the season opener on Jan. 18 with the team claiming 4-0 wins over Toledo and Xavier. The Spring 2025 season saw Ohio State win the regular-season Big Ten championship with a 28-4 record and 13-0 in conference. The Buckeyes were the Big Ten Tournament runner ups, and they advanced to the third round of the 2025 NCAA Men's Tennis Championship. Ohio State has five players ranked in the ITA singles rankings in No. 5 Aidan Kim, No. 22 Jack Anthrop, No. 42 Nikita Filin, No. 48 Alex Okonkwo and No. 51 Preston Stearns. The head coach for the Buckeyes is Ty Tucker in his 27th season.
SCOUTING PURDUE: The Boilermakers head to Ohio with a 1-1 record in 2026. They opened the season on Jan. 16 with a 7-0 win vs. Toledo, but they'll look to get back in the win column after a 4-3 setback vs. Cornell on Jan. 18. Purdue finished with a 12-10 record in Spring 2025 and a 4-9 record in the Big Ten. The Boilermakers have two players currently ranked in the ITA singles rankings in No. 63 Aleksa Krivokapic and No. 76 Nour Fathalla. Fourth-year head coach Geoff Young leads Purdue.
SCOUTING OLD DOMINION: The Monarchs are 1-1 currently on the season. The season opener saw the team defeat Georgetown, 6-1, on Jan. 17. The Monarchs look to get back in the win column after a 5-2 setback vs. Yale on Jan. 18. Old Dominion were the Spring 2025 regular season and tournament Sun Belt Champions with a 17-9 overall record and 7-0 conference mark. The team also made the NCAA Tournament with a first-round appearance vs. Kentucky. The Monarchs' head coach is Dominik Mueller in his 10th season.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
