GILBERT, Ariz. (June 3, 2026) – The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) announced its year-end regional rankings for Division I on Wednesday, as the University of North Alabama men's and women's tennis programs made an appearance in the final poll.
The women's program finished sixth in the ITA Southern Regional Rankings and was the highest-ranked mid-major program in the region. The five ahead of UNA were all from the SEC — Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss, Alabama and Mississippi State.
The Lions were ranked ahead of Louisiana Tech, South Alabama, Troy and McNeese State. UNA completed the season with a 17-7 overall record, including a perfect 7-0 record at home. The Lions eliminated Austin Peay from the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship in the quarterfinal round before falling to eventual-champion North Florida, who finished 25-1.
The women's program went on to play in the UTR Sports NIT Championship in Rome, Ga. The Lions made an impressive run to the championship match, defeating Army with a 4-0 sweep in the quarterfinal round before stunning Kansas State in the semifinal with a 4-3 win. The Lions fell 4-2 against Arkansas State in the championship final.
UNA's win over Kansas State was the first win over a Power Four opponent in program history.
The women's program was led by first team all-conference selection Eeva Ristola, who also earned a spot on the ASUN All-Tournament team. Junior Emma Ansorge was voted a second team all-conference selection, while Sammie Schouten was listed on the all-freshman team.
Meanwhile, the men's program turned in a ninth-place ranking in the ITA Southern Region. The region includes all Division I programs from the states of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. UNA ranked ahead of the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns among the top 10.
The men's team finished 15-10 overall and went a perfect 5-0 in conference play. The Lions also went 7-1 at home. UNA pulled off a thrilling 4-3 win over Abilene Christian in the ASUN Championship Quarterfinal, as ACU played as an associate member this season and will be a future member of the United Athletic Conference in 2026-27. UNA fell to Stetson in the semifinal round but defeated the Hatters in the regular season. Both games were 4-3 finals.
In the UTR Sports NIT Championship, the UNA men defeated Longwood by a 4-2 final to make an appearance in the championship final against Virginia Tech. The Hokies won 4-2 in a tight match.
Three Lions captured all-conference honors, including senior Lachlan Brian who became the first UNA student-athlete in any sport to earn three straight years of First Team All-ASUN honors. Juniors Alberto Altur and Izan Orgiles also won all-conference honors, and Altur also earned a spot on the ASUN All-Tournament team.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
