FLORENCE, Ala. (March 28, 2024) – The University of North Alabama men's tennis team won their first home Atlantic Sun Conference dual Thursday afternoon, winning five singles matches in a 5-2 triumph over EKU.

North Alabama opened a two-dual home stand against an EKU squad sporting an 18-4 overall record and a 3-0 record in league play. The Lions used singles play to overtake the Colonels and hand them their first conference loss. The Lions rebounded from two doubles losses by winning five of the six singles flights, improving to 12-6 overall and 3-2 in ASUN play. The win also marks UNA's first over Colonels since the first meeting in 1999.

It was a team effort in the home victory, with all six Lions coming away with a win from the dual.

Sophomore Lachlan Brain and freshman Izan Orgiles opened the scoring with a quick 6-1 win from flight three over EKU's Julappagari Anurag Reddy and Kristoffer Stahlbrand. The Colonels won the next two doubles matches to take the one-point lead into singles play.

Freshman Birtan Duran struck first with a 6-3, 6-0 win over Moritz Mayer for UNA's first team point and his 13th win of the season. Sophomore Federico Scotuzzi gave the Lions the lead with his seventh singles win in a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Kristoffer Stahlbrand. North Alabama increased the lead to two with freshman Alberto Altur's 6-4, 6-4 win over Mario Martin from the third flight.

The Colonels came back to take flight two and cut the UNA advantage to one, but the eventual clinching match came between the Lions' junior Nazar Fedoryshyn and EKU's Paul-Antoine Brazet. Fedoryshyn took the first set for the strong 6-1 start, but Brazet made it a match with a 6-4 second-set win.

The match went to a decisive third set, but Fedoryshyn held strong to take the final set, 6-2, for his ninth win of the season. The final match between Brain and EKU's Evzen Holis went to three sets with the match already clinched, but Brain would not be denied with a 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 victory for his seventh season win.

The Lions get one day off to prepare for their second home ASUN dual against Queens on March 30 from the UNA Tennis Complex. First serve from Florence is scheduled for 11 a.m.


North Alabama 5, EKU 2

Doubles
1. Fernando Bulnes Garrorena/Evzen Holis (EKU) def. Alberto Altur/Birtan Duran (UNA), 6-3
2. Mario Martin/Moritz Mayer (EKU) def. Nazar Fedoryshyn/Federico Scotuzzi (UNA), 7-5
3. Izan Orgiles/Lachlan Brain (UNA) def. Julappagari Anurag Reddy/Kristoffer Stahlbrand (EKU), 6-1

Singles
1. Lachlan Brain (UNA) def. Evzen Holis (EKU), 6-2, 5-7, 6-3
2. Fernando Bulnes Garrorena (EKU) def. Izan Orgiles  (UNA), 6-4, 6-2
3. Alberto Altur (UNA) def. Mario Martin (EKU), 6-4, 6-4
4. Birtan Duran (UNA) def. Moritz Mayer (EKU), 6-3, 6-0
5. Nazar Fedoryshyn (UNA) def. Paul-Antoine Brazet (EKU), 6-1, 4-6, 6-2
6. Federico Scotuzzi (UNA) def. Kristoffer Stahlbrand (EKU), 6-1, 6-1


Match Notes
North Alabama: 12-6
EKU: 18-5

Order of Completion: Doubles (3,1,2) Singles (4,6,3,2,5,1)

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