ROME, Ga. (May 4, 2026) – The University of North Alabama women's tennis team opens the UTR Sports NIT Championships on Tuesday, May 5 against Army West Point in Rome, Ga.
The postseason tournament begins for the fourth-seeded Lions, facing the fifth-seeded Black Knights in UNA's second all-time appearance in the NIT. North Alabama looks to start strong against Army in its quest towards the first postseason championship in Division I program history.
Held at the Rome Tennis Center at Berry College, UNA faces Army at 10:30 a.m. CT for fans following along in the Shoals. The winner will advance to face the winner of top-seeded Kansas State and eighth-seed Northern Illinois in the semifinals on May 6, concluding with the final on Thursday, May 7.
All tournament matches will have a live streaming option available through PlaySight. Fans can create a free account to watch all the action during the championships. There will be no live stats for the matches across the week.
Full results and a recap will be posted on RoarLions.com following each day, but fans can also follow along on the UNA Tennis social media pages.
DUAL INFO
2026 UTR Sports NIT Championship – Quarterfinal
Matchup: North Alabama vs. Army
Date: Tuesday, May 5
Time: 10:30 a.m. CT/11:30 a.m. ET
Location: Rome, Ga.
Venue: Rome Tennis Center
Live Video: PlaySight
Social Media: @UNATennis
NOTES
ABOUT THE NIT CHAMPIONSHIPS: This years' championships mark the fourth overall rendition. UNA Women's Tennis preps for its second appearance after earning its first bid in 2025. The Lions won one dual in the tournament, tallying a 4-2 quarterfinals' victory over Middle Tennessee on May 7. The victory was the first over MTSU in program history. The 2025 tournament resulted in Chattanooga and Washington State win the men's and women's titles, respectively. Tulsa won the men's and women's titles in 2024, and Liberty Men's Tennis and TCU Women's Tennis won the inaugural competition in 2023.
SCOUTING THE LIONS: North Alabama gets set for the postseason matchup sporting a 15-6 record. Entering the championships, UNA's 15 duals won is tied for second most in Division I program history. The Lions win matches on the season at a 68.1 percent rate in singles and 61.2 percent rate in doubles. Junior Emma Ansorge leads the team with a 14-3 singles record with junior Mathilde Delaney and freshman Sammie Schouten tied for second with 12 wins. Senior Eeva Ristola additionally has double-digit wins with a 10-3 singles record. Ansorge and Delaney have the joint team high in doubles wins with a 14-2 record. Freshman Farah Asaad and Ristola rank behind Ansorge and Delaney with nine doubles triumphs.
SCOUTING ARMY: Army West Point enters the tournament with a 22-7 season record while 6-2 in the Patriot League. Army advanced to the Patriot League Tournament Semifinals, taking a first-round victory over Bucknell in a 4-0 sweep. The Black Knights had three all-conference players in Madison Smith, Emily Ruckno and Vennmukiil Mathivanan. Ruckno and Olivia Mellynchuk were additionally named Patriot League Doubles Team of the Year after going 19-1 on the season. Ruckno leads the team with a 12-2 singles record followed by Stacey Samonte (11-1) and Emma Sy (9-4). Paul Peck leads the Black Knights in his 31st season as head coach.
SERIES HISTORY: This marks the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
