STARKVILLE, Miss. (May 2, 2025) – The University of North Alabama men's tennis team ended a historic season in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Men's Tennis Championship on Friday, with the Lions falling to the No. 22 ranked Michigan State Spartans, 4-0, in Starkville, Miss.

The Spartans will play the winner of New Orleans and No. 12 seed Mississippi State, who is hosting the first and second round matchups. UNA, who entered No. 68 in the ITA rankings, officially ends the season with a 20-4 record. This marks the most wins for the program since 1988.

The Spartans started with momentum with the doubles point, winning courts two and three en route to the one-point advantage.

Michigan State's Max Sheldon and Mitchell Sheldon defeated Lachlan Brain and Satoru Nakajima from court three for the first doubles win, 6-0. The Spartans' Danial Rakhmatullayev and Aristotelis Thanos secured the second doubles win with a court-two victory over Samu Dominguez and Nazar Fedoryshyn, 6-1.

The top-flight doubles match between Alberto Altur and Izan Orgiles and Michigan State's Ozan Baris and Matthew Forbes went unfinished, but the UNA duo made it a battle. Altur and Orgiles trailed 3-5, but the two were picking up momentum before the doubles portion was complete.

The Spartans continued with the first singles victory, with Max Sheldon defeating Orgiles from court three, 6-1, 6-2. MSU's Danial Rakhmatullayev followed with a court-six win over Fedoryshyn, 6-2, 6-1. The clinching came from court five, as UNA's Dominguez fell to Mitchell Sheldon in a 6-4, 6-4 result.

The remaining singles matches went unfinished, but the highlight of the dual came from court two and the performance of Altur.

The sophomore won the first set against Ozan Baris, claiming the frame with a strong 6-2 outing. Baris responded with a 5-2 lead, but Altur was able to go toe-to-toe against Baris who ranks No. 15 in singles in the ITA rankings.

With the season coming to a close, the Lions head into the offseason after an incredible campaign.

North Alabama captured both the regular season and tournament titles in the Atlantic Sun Conference – earning the first ASUN titles in Division I program history and first conference championship since 1981. The tournament win was also the first postseason championship for any UNA team since the move to Division I in 2018.

Four Lions earned All-ASUN honors, and UNA coach Aitor Reparaz earned the program's first ASUN Coach of the Year distinction. The season culminated in program's first Division I NCAA Tournament appearance.



Mississippi State 4, North Alabama 0

Doubles

1. Ozan Baris/Matthew Forbes (MSU) vs. Alberto Altur/Izan Orgiles (UNA), 5-3, unfinished
2. Danial Rakhmatullayev/Aristotelis Thanos (MSU) def. Nazar Fedoryshyn/Samu Dominguez (UNA), 6-1
3. Max Sheldon/Mitchell Sheldon (MSU) def. Lachlan Brain/Satoru Nakajima (UNA), 6-0

Order of Finish: (3,2)

Singles

1. Aristotelis Thanos (MSU) vs. Lachlan Brain (UNA), 6-2, 2-2, unfinished
2. Alberto Altur (UNA) vs. Ozan Baris (MSU), 6-2, 2-5, unfinished
3. Max Sheldon (MSU) def. Izan Orgiles (UNA), 6-1, 6-2
4. Vuk Radjenovic (MSU) vs. Satoru Nakajima (UNA), 6-4, 4-4, unfinished
5. Mitchell Sheldon (MSU) def. Samu Dominguez (UNA), 6-4, 6-4
6. Danial Rakhmatullayev (MSU) def. Nazar Fedoryshyn (UNA), 6-2, 6-1

Order of Finish: (3,6,5)


Match Notes

North Alabama: 20-4
Michigan State: 17-9

For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.