OXFORD, Miss. (January 14, 2024) – The University of North Alabama men's tennis team competed in its first match of the 2024 spring season on Sunday, but fell to SEC opponent Ole Miss 7-0 on the road in Oxford, Miss.
The match was originally scheduled for Monday, but was moved up a day due to inclement weather.
The Rebels opened the duel with three wins from doubles, with Ole Miss' Isac Stromberg and Noah Schlagenhauf taking the first match against UNA sophomore Lachlan Brain and freshman Izan Orgiles, 6-1. The Rebel's John Hallquist Lithén and Carson Baker defeated junior Nazar Fedoryshyn and sophomore Federico Scotuzzi, 6-1, with Ole Miss' Nikola Slavic and Lukas Engelhardt rounding out doubles with a 6-3 win over the Lions' freshmen Alberto Altur and Birtan Duran.
In singles action, the Rebels got on the board first with a 6-1, 6-1 win by Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) No. 99 ranked Nikola Slavic over Brain in a challenging top flight. Scotuzzi won four games of the first set before falling to Baker, 6-4, 6-0.
In the second flight, Orgiles made it a battle with the Rebels' Stromberg, dropping the first set 7-6 with a thrilling 8-6 tiebreaker. Stromberg held on for a tight 6-4 win in the second set, clinching the match for Ole Miss.
The final three matches were played out and the Lions showed fight, forcing third sets in each of the respective bouts. The fourth match opened with Duran claiming the first UNA singles set win of the year with 6-2 victory against Ole Miss' Gordon Whitwell. Whitwell took set two 6-1 before taking the match with a 6-2 third set.
Altur went up early to the Rebels' Engelhardt with a 7-6 set victory in the opener, finishing with a 7-4 tiebreaker. Engelhardt worked back into the match to ultimately take sets two and three by a 6-4, 6-3 final.
The final match saw Fedoryshyn face off against Ole Miss' Schlagenhauf in the fourth flight and started strong with an opening 7-6 set win. Schlagenhauf responded with a 7-6 second set win before the final third set came down to a win-by-two situation. The competitive third set fell to Schlagenhauf by a 10-8 final.
For full results, click here.
COMING UP NEXT
UNA Men's Tennis returns to the court on Jan. 26 in Birmingham for the first of a two-match weekend against Samford.
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