ROME, Ga. (May 6, 2026) – The University of North Alabama men's tennis team begins the 2026 UTR Sports NIT Championships on Thursday, May 7 against Longwood in Rome, Ga.
North Alabama readies for its second-ever NIT appearance with the semifinal bout against the Lancers. The second-seeded Lions will look for a strong opening round of action with a trip to the tournament final on the line. UNA Men's Tennis also looks to claim its second postseason championship in as many seasons and first at the NIT.
The Lions face the Lancers at 10:30 a.m. CT from the Rome Tennis Center at Berry College. The winner will advance to the final on Friday, May 8 at 8 a.m. CT, facing either top-seeded Virginia Tech, fourth-seed Chattanooga or fifth-seed North Carolina Central.
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 – Semifinal
Matchup: North Alabama vs. Longwood
Date: Thursday, May 7
Time: 10:30 a.m. CT
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. The men's team makes its second appearance, earning its first bid in 2024. 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 with a 14-9 record. The Lions hold a solid 61.2 percent win rate in singles while winning 53.6 percent of matches in doubles. Seven players have six or more singles wins led by junior Alberto Altur with 15. Sophomore Samu Dominguez is second with 12 victories while junior Izan Orgiles and sophomore Lachlan Brain are third with 10. Brain has tallied nine wins on the season followed by seven from freshman Benjamin Meyers. Junior Alex Despoja has six wins on the campaign, and junior Whitman Davis has two. Altur leads with 12 doubles victories with Brain (11) and Orgiles (10) rounding out the top three. Four additional Lions have at least four doubles wins in Dominguez (9), Nakajima (7), Despoja (6) and Meyers (4).
SCOUTING LONGWOOD: Longwood enters the tournament with a 13-6 record on the season. The Lancers made a championship run in the Big South conference tournament but fell to Gardner-Webb in the final. The team wins doubles at 55.7 percent rate but excels in singles with a 68.5 percent win rate. Alejandro Uribe leads the team with 28 total wins, followed by Daniel Lopez with 23. Longwood had four players make All-Big South teams, led by the conference Player of the Year Timéo Puech. Charlotte Clarke serves as the Director of Tennis for the Lancers in her second season.
SERIES HISTORY: Tomorrow 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.
