FLORENCE, Ala. (March 5, 2025) – The University of North Alabama men's tennis team returns to Florence starting Sunday, March 9, with duals against the Chattanooga Mocs and Jacksonville State Gamecocks.
North Alabama is back at the UNA Tennis Courts looking to continue its unbeaten start in home duals. With the Lions 2-0 in duals in Florence, UNA hopes to continue the streak against the Mocs and rival Gamecocks.
The Lions open against Chattanooga on March 9, before facing Jacksonville State on Monday, March 10. UNA was originally scheduled to face the Gamecocks on February 11 but was rescheduled to Feb. 18 before being postponed to the current scheduled date.
North Alabama takes on the Mocs at 2 p.m., followed by UNA facing Jacksonville State at noon. Live stats will be available for both duals with links becoming available closer to match time.
Full results and a recap will be posted on RoarLions.com following the action, but fans can also follow along on the UNA Tennis social media pages.
DUAL 1 INFO
Matchup: North Alabama vs Chattanooga
Date: Sunday, March 9
Time: 2 p.m.
Location: Florence, Ala.
Venue: UNA Tennis Courts
Social Media: @UNATennis
DUAL 2 INFO
Matchup: North Alabama vs. Jacksonville State
Date: Monday, March 10
Time: NOON
Location: Florence, Ala.
Venue: UNA Tennis Courts
Social Media: @UNATennis
NOTES
LAST TIME OUT: North Alabama picked up two wins in its three-dual week at Southern Miss, New Orleans and No. 64 Ole Miss. UNA opened with 4-0 sweeps over Southern Miss and New Orleans before falling to Ole Miss to cap the weekend. It snapped a four-dual win streak for the Lions, but sophomores Alberto Altur and Izan Orgiles claimed the lone UNA win in a top-flight doubles victory.
SCOUTING THE LIONS: UNA comes into the Chattanooga and Jacksonville State duals at 6-3 on the season. North Alabama has won four of its last five duals, with the Lions only giving up two points during the time frame. UNA also swept three of the opponents in Jackson State, Southern Miss and New Orleans. The Lions win 62.5 percent of their singles matches, with seven players securing at least two wins. Altur and freshman Satoru Nakajima lead with five wins, followed by sophomore Birtan Duran with four. In doubles, UNA is 11-11 as a team led by Orgiles with 6-1 record. Orgiles and Altur have yet to lose a doubles match, sporting a 5-0 record.
AMONG THE RANKS: The Lions made program history on Tuesday, Feb. 25, with North Alabama earning a No. 74 ranking in the weekly national rankings from the International Tennis Association. It marked the first time in the program's Division I history that UNA was ranked in the polls.
ALBERTO THE AMAZING: Altur was named the Atlantic Sun Conference's Men's Tennis Player of the Week by the league office on March 5. Altur shined in action against Southern Miss, New Orleans and No. 64 Ole Miss, going unbeaten in six matches while taking home five wins across singles and doubles play. He secured his first career weekly conference honor, also marking the first for Men's Tennis this season.
SCOUTING CHATTANOOGA: The Mocs are 7-6 on the season, coming off a 5-2 victory over Presbyterian College. Chattanooga has won six of its last seven matches, including a 5-2 triumph over then No. 75 Georgia Southern on Feb. 22. Across the Fall 2024 season and Spring 2025, UTC has a 53.3 percent win rate in singles and 57.3 percent win rate in doubles. Six players have more than 10 wins in singles, led by Ryan Mudre with 14. Mudre is second in doubles wins with 13 behind teammate Kristof Kincses with 14. Gabriel Castillo and Jakub Jupa have the team-high seven wins in doubles dual play, leading with a 7-2 record. Chattanooga's head coach is Chuck Merzbacher.
SERIES HISTORY: North Alabama meets the Mocs in the 16th all-time matchup with Chattanooga leading 13-2. The Lions won meetings in 2016 and most recently in 2024, breaking a streak of four wins by UTC in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2023.
SCOUTING JACKSONVILLE STATE: The Gamecocks are set for four-dual week, concluding the week against the Lions. Jacksonville State is 4-5 this season and coming off a 4-1 defeat to Troy on March 4. The Gamecocks win singles matches at a 48.9 percent rate but improves to 71.4 percent in doubles play. Matei Palcau is the team leader with six singles wins, and doubles pair Zach Murphy and Lucius Soller lead with an 8-0 record together. The head coach for Jacksonville State is Michael Helms.
SERIES HISTORY: The meeting marks the 61st in the all-time series, with both teams even with 30 wins apiece. The two programs have split their last four meetings, including North Alabama taking two matchups in 2023. Jacksonville State won the last meeting in 2024 with an additional win in 2022.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
